Source, Transport and Environmental Ecological Effect of
Contaminated Sediments in the NY/NJ Harbor¹

E. A. Stern

U. S. Environmental Protection Agency-Region 2, New York, NY 10007-1866

H. Feng and K. W. Jones

Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973-5000

            Knowledge of the biogeochemistry of contaminated sediments found in the NY/NJ Harbor is of great importance not only for studying environmental problems, but also for developing strategies for handling of contaminated material taken from navigation channels and private berthing areas in the region. Semi-diurnal tidal cycles can cause resuspension, mixing, transport and redistribution of the sediments over a wide area. Therefore, understanding the biogeochemistry, fate and transport of organic and inorganic compounds which are associated with the sediments are of importance for devising decontamination methods for treatment of contaminated dredged material which are affordable and effective. A survey to characterize the sources and compositions of sediments and its associated contaminants to the Harbor shows that the sediments and associated contaminants found in the Harbor arise from materials transported down the Passaic, Hackensack, Hudson, and East Rivers. The levels of contaminants found in the sediments are related to toxicity identification evaluations (TIEs) and the environmental ecological effect is discussed based on TIEs found for different organisms.
 
 

^{1Work supported through the Water Resources Development Acts of 1990 (Section 412), 1992 (section 405C), and 1996 (Section 226); the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886; and through Interagency Agreement DW89941761-01-1 between the U.S. EPA and the U.S. DOE.}