Ocean Disposal; Designation of a Dredged Material Disposal Site in Rhode Island Sound

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today designates the Rhode Island Sound Disposal Site (RISDS) in Rhode Island Sound offshore of Rhode Island. This action is necessary to provide a long-term dredged material disposal site for the current and future disposal of dredged material from Rhode Island, southeastern Massachusetts, and surrounding harbors (hereinafter referred to as the Rhode Island Region, or RIR). The site designation is for an indefinite period of time. The RISDS will be subject to continuing monitoring to ensure that significant unacceptable, adverse environmental impacts do not occur. The action is described in the Rhode Island Region Long-Term Dredged Material Disposal Site Evaluation Project Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), and the monitoring plan is described in the RISDS Site Management and Monitoring Plan (SMMP). The SMMP is provided as Appendix C of the FEIS. Site designation does not itself actually authorize the disposal of any particular dredged material at a site. Proposals to dispose of dredged material at a designated site are subject to project-specific reviews and authorization and still must satisfy the criteria for ocean dumping.