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Protecting Sediments Through Legislation
No single agency is completely responsible for addressing
the problem of contaminated sediments. More than 10 federal
laws give EPA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA, and
other federal, state, and tribal agencies authority to address
sediment quality issues.
Some of the most important sources of sediment quality actions
are the Clean Water Act and the Comprehensive Environmental
Response Compensation and Liability Act, which established
the Superfund program. Other relevant statutes include the
National Environmental Policy Act; the Clean Air Act; the
Coastal Zone Management Act; the Marine Protection, Research,
and Sanctuaries Act; and the Great Lakes Critical Programs
Act of 1990.
These laws address sediment quality:
- By identifying areas contaminated with chemicals.
- By restricting or eliminating further discharge of pollutants
into water bodies.
- By implementing a remediation strategy that will most
effectively reduce the risk associated with the contaminated
sediment.
Solving the Problem
The first step in solving the problem of contaminated sediments
is understanding that they present risks to public health
and to the environment. Just as water quality has been a major
concern for the past 30 years, sediment quality needs to become
a priority as well.
The second step is preventing the discharge of more toxic
contaminants into sediments. The government, private sector
and the public can work together to protect and improve water
quality by preventing toxic substances from entering the waterways.
One piece of good news is that sediments closer to the surface
of a water body generally have fewer contaminants than do
deeper sediments. This suggests that discharges of toxics
have dropped over the past decade or two.
In the third step, federal, state, and local government,
the regulated community, environmental advocacy groups, and
interested members of the public work together to identify
all existing problem areas. Biological and chemical tests
are run to determine how widespread and serious the contamination
is at each site. Based on the results, priorities can be set
for sediment management.
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locating contaminated sediments
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protecting sediments from contamination
management options |
preventing contaminated sediment
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