Environmental Assessment of Marine Disposal Options for Waste Management Systems: Program Development Plan

摘要

Discharge into coastal waters of the United States is once again receiving increasing consideration as an acceptable disposal option for municipal wastes (sewage sludges and effluents). Such disposal poses risk to marine/aquatic resources and environmental amenities which are of broad value to the nation. The potential scale of waste disposal requires comprehensive and objective evaluation, at the Federal level, of all reasonable alternatives, including land-based, ocean, and atmospheric disposal strategies in terms of overall economic costs and risk to the environment and to public health. Such a comprehensive analysis is required so that the nation can identify and select policies and practices that will minimize the total costs (economic, environmental, and health) of municipal waste disposal. Under this program, NOAA will undertake the integrated environmental assessment of marine/aquatic disposal options. The proposed program will complement and extend existing marine environmental research programs to provide for more effective application of information to marine waste disposal management.