Ocean Dumping; Guam Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site Designation

The EPA is designating the Guam Deep Ocean Disposal Site (G- DODS) as a permanent ocean dredged material disposal site (ODMDS) located offshore of Guam. Dredging is essential for maintaining safe navigation at port and naval facilities in Apra Harbor and other locations around Guam. Beneficial re-use of dredged material (e.g., for habitat creation, construction material, or landfill cover) is preferred over ocean disposal. However, not all dredged materials are suitable for beneficial re-use, and not all suitable materials can be re-used or stockpiled for future use given costs, logistical constraints, and capacity of existing land disposal or re-handling sites. Therefore, there is a need to designate a permanent ODMDS offshore of Guam. Disposal operations at the site will be limited to a maximum of 1 million cubic yards (764,555 cubic meters) per calendar year and must be conducted in accordance with the Site Management and Monitoring Plan and any project-specific permit conditions. The designated ODMDS will be monitored periodically to ensure that the site operates as expected.