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Department of Ecology News Release - September 19, 2007
07-269
OLYMPIA - Washington residents can help shape procedures for handling dioxin contamination in material dredged from the state's waterways.
State and federal agencies that manage and regulate disposal of material from dredging projects will hold two meetings on Sept. 26 in Seattle. Meetings also will be held Oct. 2 in Lacey, Oct. 11 in Bellingham and Oct. 16 in Port Angeles.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Washington Department of Natural Resources, and the Washington Department of Ecology jointly operate the Dredged Material Management Program (DMMP). The program manages material dredged to maintain navigational waterways and berth depths filled in by natural sediments.
Such dredging typically takes place at harbors, ports and marinas. Between 2000 and 2006, roughly 20 million cubic yards of material were dredged and disposed of at open-water disposal sites.
Some dredged material contains dioxins, a group of chlorinated organic compounds identified as known human carcinogens. Dioxins result from natural and industrial activities, ranging from forest fires and volcanic activity to the manufacture of chlorinated pesticides and the incomplete burning of fuels and wastes.
DMMP agencies want to start developing a new framework for evaluating dioxins in dredged material. The agencies will take input from the scheduled public meetings and from stakeholders - such as ports, marine businesses, tribes, environmental interests, and state and federal agencies - into account when drafting a framework. That draft will be issued for public review and comment, probably in 2008.
The Sept. 26 meetings will take place from 2:30 to 5 p.m. and from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Army Corps of Engineers, 4735 East Marginal Way South, Seattle. At these and future meetings, the first hour will be an information session, followed by public comments and questions. DMMP members plan to present a preliminary list of possible options, along with environmental, economic and programmatic considerations related to these options.
Here's the schedule for upcoming meetings:
For information about DMMP and directions to all meeting sites, see http://www.nws.usace.army.mil/PublicMenu/Menu.cfm?sitename=DMMO&pagename=Dioxin_Work_Group .
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Agency contacts:
Dave Fox, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 206-764-6083
Laura Inouye, Washington Department of Ecology, 360-407-6165
Erika Hoffman, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 360-753-9540
Courtney Wasson, Washington Department of Natural Resources, 360-825-1631
Media contact:
Seth Preston, Ecology communications manager, 360-407-6848; cell 360-584-5744; e-mail spre461@ecy.wa.gov
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
