Focus on Sediments:
Sediment Related Publications

Richard J. Wenning is the Practice Director for Environmental Management & Risk Services at The Weinberg Group in San Francisco, CA.

What would summer time be without a reading list? Well, if you’re the typically overworked and under-appreciated environmental professional, frustrating is probably the answer to that question. Besides, summer is practically over (in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway).

So, lets put aside the unfulfilled checklist list of new bestsellers, business manuals, and how-to books we meant to enjoy this summer, and lets consider what the well-stocked reference library should look like for the environmental professional involved in sediment assessment and management issues. Perhaps we should call this our fall collection of must have reference books. Or, perhaps even, a back-to-school list to prepare us for the inevitable exams and spot quizzes given by supervisors, clients, and a wide range of concerned stakeholders on contaminated sediment issues.

Internet Resources

Many of the USEPA documents listed here are available through the National Service Center for Environmental Publications, P.O. Box 42419, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242. The Center can be reached by phone at 1-800-490-9198 or at www.epa.gov/ncepihom/orderpub.html on the Internet. The documents are also available for viewing and downloading by accessing www.epa.gov/ost/cs . I am grateful to Richard Healy from the USEPA Office of Water in Washington, D.C. for identifying several of the recent publications that appear on this list.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also maintains a large body of knowledge on a range of sediment assessment and management issues in a searchable information database through its Internet site located at www.wes.army.mil/el/dots . Go to the directory on the home page, select publications, and use Environmental Effects & Dredging and Disposal (E2D2) to search over 4,000 reports, journal articles, conference proceedings, and publications available from world-wide sources. I am grateful to Dr. Robert Engler from the Dredging Operations and Environmental Research (DOER) program located at the Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg, Mississippi for may of the documents appearing on this list.

Several other excellent sources of technical information on sediment assessment, remediation, and management can be found on the Internet. The USEPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) has issued sediment assessment and remediation guidance that compliments U.S. federal and state efforts conducted elsewhere. Specific project reports are available at www.epa.gov/glnpo/sediments.html , as well as through the Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sediments (ARCS) Internet site located at www.epa.gov/glnpo/arcs/arcsguide.html . The Sediment Management Work Group maintains a library of technical and policy information on its Internet site, which can be found at www.smwg.org . Another resource is the Sediments Remediation Action Team established in 1996 as one of six active Action Teams within the USEPA-sponsored Remediation Technologies Development Forum (RTDF). The Sediments Remediation Action Team is focused on the development of cost-effective, on-site technologies to remediate contaminated sediments and enable recovery of biological systems. The activities of this group, which includes representatives from industry, government, and academia who share an interest in developing alternatives for remediation of contaminated sediments, can be followed on their Internet site at www.rtdf.org .

In the European Union, the European Sediment Research Network (SedNet) has been established to address European needs for assessment and management of contaminated sediments and dredged materials. Over time, the Internet site, which can be found at www.mep.tno.nl/SedNet/ , is expected to become a clearinghouse for information and technical resources pertaining to sediment assessment and management.

Finally, the USEPA Superfund Office has posted the presentations of invited speakers who attended the Forum on Managing Contaminated Sediments at Hazardous Waste Sites held in late May 2001 in Alexandria, Virginia. The presentations are in Adobe PDF format and can be found at www.epa.gov/superfund/new/sedpresent.htm. An overview of the discussions and issues presented at the Forum was the subject of the Focus on Sediments column published in the June/July issue of Contaminated Soil, Sediment & Groundwater Magazine.

Now, lets build that reference library on sediment assessment and management issues.

1. Risk Assessment

I‘ve included a few ecological and human health risk assessment documents in this list. A well-stocked reference library on risk assessment is well beyond my focus here. But for those who are inclined to stock a second reference library, I recommend beginning with Dr. Dennis Paustenbach’s review of the history of human health risk assessment and its exhaustive literature section. The document is available on the Internet at www.fplc.edu/risk/vol6/fall/pausten.htm .

The Role of Screening-Level Risk Assessments and Refining Contaminants of Concern in Baseline Ecological Risk Assessments (EPA 540/F-01/014; June 2001)

This issue of the ECO Update Bulletin, which is published periodically by the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER), provides clarification on specific technical methods and the role of screening-level analysis in ecological risk assessment. The references cited at the end of the bulletin represent a chronology of USEPA guidance on this subject.

Ecological and Human Health Risk Assessment Guidance for Terrestrial Environments, Draft Report. (USACOE, May 2001)

This document provides guidance for conducting ecological and human health risk assessments at terrestrial sites potentially impacted by dredged material management activities. The document is currently undergoing peer-review and should become available in early 2002. For more information, contact Dr. Todd Bridges at the ACOE Waterways Experiment Station.

Ecological Risk Assessment of Contaminated Sediments. Ingersoll, C.G., Dillon, T. and G.R. Biddinger, ed. SETAC Publication, Pensacola, FL.

This book represents the summary publication of a SETAC-sponsored Pellston Workshop held in 1998 addressing various aspects of contaminated sediment assessment in different aquatic environments and for different management purposes. A copy of this book can be purchased from the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) on their web site located at www.setac.org .

2. Community & Public Outreach Materials

Introduction to Contaminated Sediments (EPA-823-F-99-006) (brochure) and A Healthy Ecosystem (EPA-H-99-001)(poster)

These materials educate the public, including citizen groups and high school students, on the definition and extent of contaminated sediments, sources of contamination, remediation and pollution prevention solutions, and what citizens can do to protect sediment. For more information, contact Richard Healy, USEPA at (202) 260-7812

Contaminated Sediments Newsletter

This newsletter, published periodically by the Office of Science and Technology, summarizes contaminated sediment activities by federal agencies. For more information, go to www.epa.gov/OST/pc/csnews.

Current News & Events for Fish & Wildlife Advisory Programs

This is an online information resource of interest to state, tribal, and federal agencies involved with contaminants in fish and wildlife and the development and management of advisories. For more information, contact Jeffrey Bigler, USEPA at (202) 260-1305 or go to www.epa.gov/ost/fish/listing/.

Fish Advisory Outreach Materials

Outreach materials include a series of brochures developed jointly by USEPA and the U.S. Public Health Service. These materials are intended for individuals and communities potentially exposed to chemically contaminated fish. Brochures, some written in several languages, include “Should I Eat the Fish I Catch? A Guide to Healthy Eating of Fish You Catch.” A poster for health care provides titled “Fish Can Be a Health Choice” also is available. For more information, contact Jeffrey Bigler, USEPA at (202) 260-1305 or go to www.epa.gov/ost/fish.

3. U.S. Sediment Management Policy & Strategy

USEPA, Contaminated Sediment Management Strategy: Reinventing Government to Streamline Decision-Making, (EPA 823-F-98-004;April, 1998)

The report describes the Agency’s work plan for actions needed to bring about assessment and reduction of the ecological and human health risks posed by contaminated sediments. The strategy establishes four goals: source control and prevention of further sediment contamination; reduction in the volume of in-place contamination; use of environmentally sound remedial measures; and, promotion of scientifically sound sediment management tools for pollution prevention, source control, remediation, and dredged material management. For more information, go to www.epa.gov/OST/cs/manage/stratndx.html .

The Incidence and Severity of Sediment Contamination in Surface Waters of the United States (Volumes 1-3)(EPA 8230R-97-006, EPA 823-R-97-007; EPA 823-R-97-008)

This 3-volume set of documents is part of USEPA’s 1997 Biennial Report to the U.S. Congress on the quality of sediments in the United States. The National Sediment Inventory provides information on the status of waterways throughout the U.S. For more information, contact Scott Ireland, USEPA at (202) 260-6091.

Contaminated Sediments in Ports and Waterways: Cleanup Strategies and Technologies, Committee on Contaminated Marine Sediments, Marine Board, Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems (June, 1998)

This National Research Council (NRC) report discusses the currently available technologies for cleanup of contaminated sediments in U.S. ports, harbors, and waterways. For more information, go to www.nap.edu/books/0309054931/html/.

A Risk Management Strategy for PCB-Contaminated Sediments, National Research Council, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. (January, 2001)

This latest sediment-related report from the National Research Council summarizes the current state of knowledge of human health and ecological impacts posed by PCB contaminated sediments and provides recommendations for a wide-range of investigation and research activities as part of a strategy to reduce the risks. For more information, go to
www.nap.edu/openbook/0309073219/html/4.html .

4. Fish Consumption Advisories

Guidance For Assessing Chemical Contaminant Data for Use in Fish Advisories (Vols. 1-4).

This four-volume guidance from USEPA provides technical guidance to state, tribes and others for assessing chemical contamination data for use in fish consumption advisories. The guidance addresses Fish Sampling and Analysis (Vol. 1 - EPA 823-B-00-007); Risk Assessment and Fish Consumption Limits (Vol. 2 - EPA 823-B-00-008); Overview of Risk Management (Vol. 3 - EPA 823-B-96-006); and Risk Communication (Vol. 4 - EPA 823-R-95-001). For more information, contact Jeff Bigler, USEPA at (202) 260-1305 or go to www.epa.gov/ost/fish.

National Study of Chemical Residues in Lake Fish Tissue

The USEPA Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxics Task Force Program is sponsoring a multi-year study of chemical residues in fish in the United States. The Task Force is collecting fish from 500 randomly selected U.S. lakes and analyzing fish for about 100 chemicals. By 2004, USEPA will develop national estimates of the mean levels of individual chemicals in fish. For more information, contact Leanne Stahl, USEPA at (202) 260-7055.

National Listing of Fish and Wildlife Consumption Advisories

The USEPA has compiled state, tribal and federal fish and wildlife advisories in the U.S. and Canada. The listing is available as an online database. For more information, contact Jeff Bigler, USEPA at (202) 260-1305 or go to www.epa.gov/ost/fish .

5. Sediment Assessment Frameworks

Bioacccumulation Testing and Interpretation for the Purpose of Sediment Quality Assessment Status and Needs (EPA-823-R-00-001 Appendix EPA-823-R-00-002)

This document describes how USEPA programs currently use bioaccumulation tests and models in evaluating whether contaminated sediments pose an ecological or human health risk. The appendix provides detailed technical data on individual bioaccumulative chemical of concern. For more information, contact Richard Healy, USEPA at (202)-260-7812.

Working Draft Implementation Framework for Use of Equilibrium Partitioning Sediment Guidelines (February 2001)

This draft document provides information on sediment quality assessment tools such as equilibrium sediment guidelines (ESGs) for protection of benthic (sediment-dwelling organisms) and whole sediment toxicity tests. For more information, contact Richard Healy, USEPA at (202)-260-7812.

6. Sediment Quality Assessments

Draft Technical Basis for the Derivation of Equilibrium Partitioning Sediment Guidelines (ESGs) for the Protection of Benthic Organisms: Nonionic Organics

Presents technical basis for establishing ESGs for nonionic organic chemicals using equilibrium partitioning (EqP). For more information, contact Heidi Bell, USEPA at (202) 260-5464.

Draft Equilibrium Partitioning Sediment Guidelines (ESGs) for the Protection of Benthic Organisms: Nonionic Compounds

Draft Equilibrium Partitioning Sediment Guidelines (ESGs) for the Protection of Benthic Organisms: Dieldrin

Draft Equilibrium Partitioning Sediment Guidelines (ESGs) for the Protection of Benthic Organisms: Endrin

Draft Equilibrium Partitioning Sediment Guidelines (ESGs) for the protection of benthic organisms: Metal Mixtures (cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, silver and zinc).

Draft Equilibrium Partitioning Sediment Guidelines (ESGs) for the Protection of Benthic Organisms: Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Mixtures

The five documents listed above generated quite a bit of scientific debate when first proposed nearly eight years ago. Sediment quality guidelines based on equilibrium partitioning to protect aquatic benthic organisms from direct toxicity to dieldrin, endrin, metal mixtures (Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni , Ag, and Zn), PAH mixtures, and 32 nonionic organic contaminants in sediment has stalled owing to a number of technical and policy concerns among scientists and the regulatory communities. For more information, contact Heidi Bell, USEPA at (202) 260-5464.

7. Sediment Assessment Methods

Methods for Measuring the Toxicity and Bioaccumulation of Sediment -associated Contaminants with Freshwater Invertebrates, Second Edition, (EPA/600/R-99/064)

This manual includes updates of two short-term standard freshwater sediment toxicity test methods (Chironomus tentans and Hyalella azteca) and the standard bioaccumulation method (Lumbriculus variegatus). This edition also includes two new long-term sediment toxicity test methods for C. tentans and H. azteca to evaluate sublethal effects (e.g., reduction in growth and reproduction) of freshwater sediments. For more information, contact Scott Ireland, USEPA at (202) 260-6091.

Methods for Assessing the Chronic Toxicity of Marine and Estuarine Sediment-associated Contaminants with the Amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus, First Edition (EPA/600/R-94/025)

This manual supplements (but does not replace) procedures originally published in 1994 by USEPA for measuring acute sediment toxicity in marine and estuarine sediments. This document outlines a sediment toxicity method for the marine amphipod (Leptocheirus plumulosus) to evaluate the sublethal effects (reduction in growth and reproduction) of marine and estuarine sediments. The manual is expected to be available from USEPA this summer. For more information, contact Scott Ireland, USEPA at (202) 260-6091.

Methods for Collection, Storage, and Manipulation of Sediment for Chemical and Toxicological Analysis: Technical Manual

This manual provides a compilation of methods that are most likely to yield accurate, representative sediment quality data based on the experience of many monitoring programs and researchers. The manual is expected to be available from USEPA this summer. For more information, contact Richard Healy, USEPA at (202) 260-7812.

Estimating Contaminant Losses from Components of Remediation Alternatives for Contaminated Sediments (EPA/905 R96 001)

This document from the GLNPO ARCS program compliments a similar guidance document and analysis prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. For more information, go to www.epa.gov/glnpo/arcs/arcsguide.html .

Data Collection for the Hazardous Waste Identification Rule: Section 11.0 – Aquatic Food Web Data (October 1999)

This document was prepared by the Center for Environmental Analysis for the USEPA Office of Solid Waste. For more information, go to www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/id/hwirwste/risk.htm

Evaluation of Dredged Material Proposed for Ocean Disposal: Testing Manual (EPA/503R 91/001; February, 1991)

Jointly prepared by USEPA and the Army Corps of Engineers, this manual contains procedures applicable to the evaluation of potential contaminant-related environmental impacts of the ocean disposal of dredged material. For more information, go to www.epa.gov/OWOW/oceans/gbook .

Evaluation of Dredged Material Proposed for Inland Disposal: Testing Manual (EPA/823-B-98-004; February,1998)

Jointly prepared by USEPA and the Army Corps of Engineers, the testing protocols set out in this document are provided as guidance for assessing the potential for contaminant-related impacts associated with dredged material disposal into open water. For more information, go to www.epa.gov/ost/itm/ITM .

Evaluating Environmental Effects of Dredged Material Management Alternatives A Technical Framework (EPA/842 B 92 008)

Bioaccumulation Testing and Interpretation for the Purpose of Sediment Quality Assessment. Status and Needs. (EPA-823-R-00-001; February)

Closing

The scientific and public policy literature on sediment assessment and management is expanding rapidly. I won’t be surprised if some readers believe that I overlooked a few technical documents that should be included in the well-stocked sediment reference library. If you think so, then please let me know. Write to me by email at rjwenning@home.com  and tell me what you think is missing from my list and should be included (or, perhaps, excluded) in the well-stocked sediment reference library. I plan to update this fall collection in a future Focus on Sediment column.

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