Volume 23, Issue 1, 1998 March/April 1998

Overcoming Obstacles to Sediment Remediation

by John Hartig

All 42 Areas of Concern (AOCs) remaining in the Great Lakes have contaminated sediment as defined by chemical guidelines. In addition, there is a consensus among government, industry, nongovernmental organizations and Remedial Action Plan (RAP) groups that contaminated sediment is a major cause of environmental problems. Contaminated sediment is a key factor in restoring 11 of the 14 beneficial water uses identified in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

Depending on the severity of the problem, the appropriate remedial option to address contaminated sediment may range from source control and natural recovery to full-scale remediation. Further, it is critical that some of the concentrated deposits of contaminated sediment be addressed relatively quickly, because over time these contaminants may be transported from a river or harbor into the Great Lakes. Once dispersed into the lakes, cleanup is virtually impossible.

The Great Lakes Water Quality Board's Sediment Priority Action Committee has reported that, over the past ten years, approximately $500 million has been spent on 24 sediment remediation projects in 14 AOCs. In addition, substantially greater resources have been spent on pollution prevention and control as prerequisites to sediment remediation.

Despite the extent of this sediment remediation, the Committee found the contaminated sediment problem is still under assessment in 31 AOCs and decisions regarding intervention are still required.

In 1997, the Committee prepared a white paper that summarized the contaminated sediment problem, specified key obstacles, identified options to them and presented recommendations on how IJC could help address current obstacles to sediment remediation. The white paper notes that progress in sediment remediation has been slow for several reasons. These range from the inability to define the extent or the source of the problem to difficulties in acquiring the funding or partners to accomplish the cleanup.

The white paper groups the major obstacles to sediment remediation into six categories:

In June 1997, IJC held a workshop entitled "Identifying the Value-Added Role of the IJC in Overcoming Obstacles to Sediment Remediation in the Great Lakes Basin." In general, workshop participants agreed with the six categories identified in the white paper. Breakout groups then focused on how IJC could help to overcome obstacles to sediment remediation. Participants felt that incentives to corporate involvement are generally weak and poorly articulated, and that in most areas there is limited public and local support for sediment remediation. In addition, lack of a consistent but flexible decision-making framework continues to confound and frustrate RAP processes and other local sediment initiatives. The participants recommended two important actions IJC could take to add value to efforts under way in AOCs and help address current obstacles:

Science can be used to determine the state of sediment quality, while socioeconomic and political forces govern cleanup. But measuring success presents a challenge for those who must justify the costs of sediment remediation. Success must be measured on a site-specific basis and should be defined as the degree to which the environmental or ecological impact of contaminants from sediment has been reduced or eliminated.

Certainly there has been progress in advancing projects toward remediation, however, only implementation results in progress toward restoration of the ecosystem. The assessment of success should also recognize whether locally-defined goals and uses of the area are achieved. Further, there is a need to explain to the public the incremental steps to manage contaminated sediment and restore beneficial uses, since complete rehabilitation requires a long-term effort. Success should include both incremental gains in environmental recovery of the system and extensive public participation in the decision-making process.

John Hartig works in the IJC's Great Lakes Regional Office and currently serves as secretary to the Great Lakes Water Quality Board. The white paper entitled "Overcoming Obstacles to Sediment Remediation in the Great Lakes Basin" is available on the Water Quality Board's home page at http://www.ijc.org/conseil_board/water_greatlakes/en/glwqb_home_accueil.htm or from the IJC's Great Lake Regional Office in Windsor.

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Chacun des 42 secteurs préoccupants (SP) de la région des Grands Lacs compte des zones de sédiments contaminés. Tous estiment que ces derniers constituent une cause majeure des problèmes environnementaux et qu'ils représentent un facteur clé dans le rétablissement de 11 des 14 utilisations bénéfiques des ressources en eau indiquées dans l'Accord relatif à la qualité de l'eau dans les Grands Lacs.

Les options pertinentes à la décontamination vont du contrôle à la source et du rétablissement naturel à la décontamination à grande échelle. Il est primordial que l'on s'occupe assez rapidement de certains sédiments contaminés, étant donné que ceux-ci peuvent passer dans les Grands Lacs à partir d'une rivière ou d'un port, après quoi il est pratiquement impossible de les décontaminer.

En 1997, le Comité d'action prioritaire des sédiments du Conseil de la qualité de l'eau des Grands Lacs a préparé un livre blanc où l'on fait le point sur le problème de la contamination des sédiments. On y précise les principaux obstacles, les diverses options en vue de les vaincre et des recommandations sur la manière dont la CMI pourrait aider à éliminer les obstacles actuels à la décontamination des sédiments.

Revised: 7 April 1998
Maintained by Kevin McGunagle, mcgunaglek@ijc.wincom.net