MBDS Site
Management and Monitoring Plan
The Water
Resources Development Act of 1992 (P.L. 102-580, Sec. 506(5)) requires
that Site Management Plans (SMP) be prepared for all designated disposal
sites no later than January 1, 1997. Until the SMMP is completed, the
site may not be used as a disposal site. EPA Region I and the New England
Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are currently preparing
the SMP for the MBDS in accordance with the Final Guidance issued by
those agencies in February 1996 (Matthew Liebman, 1996). The SMP will
provide a framework for monitoring the effects of disposal at the MBDS.
Generally, it will include a baseline assessment of the environment;
the program for monitoring; special management practices to be used;
a consideration of the quantity of material to be disposed at the site
and the presence, nature, and bioavailability of contaminants; useful
life of the disposal site; and management program for the site after
closure. The processes of preparing and approving the plan provides
opportunities for public comment and interagency consultation including
the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
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