LIS Dredged Material Disposal Sites

LIS Dredged Material Disposal Sites is a polygon feature-based layer that depicts the official locations of the four active (currently used) sites for depositing sediments approved for open water disposal in Long Island Sound. It does not include historic or discontinued disposal sites. The layer was compiled initially between 1999 and 2001 and depicts current conditions. Compilation scale is unknown. Attribute information is comprised of codes to uniquely identify individual features (locations of dredge disposal sites), encode the features, and cartographically represent (symbolize) these features on a map. This layer is updated as needed. Disposal activities in Long Island Sound are regulated by the following Federal statutes: the Clean Water Acts of 1977, the Coastal Zone Management Act, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958, and the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899. In addition to Federal oversight, both Connecticut and New York also regulate open water disposal in the waters of Long Island Sound. In Connecticut, authority stems from the state's Structures, Dredging and Fill statute, the Tidal Wetlands statute, and the Connecticut Coastal Management Act. In New York, disposal is regulated through the Use and Protection of Waters Regulation, the Tidal Wetlands Use Regulations, the Coastal Erosion Management Regulations, the State Environmental Quality Review Act, the State Historic Preservation Act, the Waterfront Revitalization and Coastal Resources Act, and the New York Coastal Management Program. The practice of open water disposal in Long Island Sound utilizes one of the following management strategies: 1. Unconfined Open Water Disposal: A process by which material deemed to be environmentally safe is deposited at a given site. 2. Confined Open Water Disposal: A process by which sediments not suitable for unconfined open water disposal are deposited and then covered or "capped" with environmentally safe material. A variation of this method occurs when previous sediment mounds are used to form a ring into which material not suitable for unconfined open water disposal can be placed and then capped accordingly. The datalayer was originally created from information provided by: (1) Carey, D., Valente R., Murray P., and Rhoads, D. 1998. State of Connecticut Dept. of Environmental Protection Office of Long Island Sound Programs Dredged Sediment Management Study: Long Island Sound Dredged Material Management Approach. SAIC Peport No. 442, Science Applications International Corporation. Appendix F.; and (2) Various US ACOE DAMOS Monitoring Cruise Reports, 1991-2000. Updates for the 2005 edition included information from The Final Rulemaking and Response to Comments Document for the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Designation of Dredged Material Disposal Sites in Central and Western Long Island Sound, US Environmental Protection Agency, May 19, 2005. As part of the overall management approach, the four sites have been extensively monitored by the US Army Corps of Engineer's (ACOE) Disposal Area MOnitoring System (DAMOS) since 1977. Each site is briefly summarized as follows: Western Long Island Sound Disposal Site: The Western Long Island Sound Disposal Site (WLIS) is located 4.63 km south of Long Neck Point, CT. Dredged material has been deposited annually at the 5.35 km2 site since 1982 and consists mainly of fine silts and clays. Sensitive local resources and public concern limit disposal to material with only low levels of contamination, therefore, only unconfined open water disposal is employed. WLIS has been extensively monitored by the DAMOS program since the mid 1980's. Feature data updated as of 2005. Central Long Island Sound Disposal Site: The Central Long Island Sound Disposal Site (CLIS) was designated in 1979 and incorporates a previous disposal area, the New Haven Disposal Site, that was in use since 1972. Currently, CLIS encompasses an area of 8.26 km2 and is located approximately 10.37 km south of South End Point in East Haven CT. Because of its centralized location in Long Island Sound CLIS has been one of the most historically active disposal sites in New England. Characterized by predominantly silty material, CLIS mainly uses a confined disposal strategy, and the site has been monitored by DAMOS since 1977. Feature data updated as of 2005. Cornfield Shoals Disposal Site: The Cornfield Shoals Disposal Site (CSDS) was designated for dredged material disposal in 1976 and is located 6.12 km southeast of Cornfield Point, Old Saybrook, CT. Because of strong tidal currents in the area material deposited at CSDS is usually dispersed following release, often being transported outside the boundaries of the 3.42 km2 site. Therefore material disposed at CSDS cannot be capped and must be shown to have no adverse impact to the environment. Average annual disposal volumes at CSDS are much less than the other sites, and are typically characterized by sandy sediments. Disposal is restricted from June 1 through September 30 to protect lobster fishing and oyster spawning during the summer. CSDS has been monitored by the DAMOS program since 1978. New London Disposal Site: The New London Disposal Site (NLDS) is located 5.38 km south of Eastern Point in Groton, CT. The 3.42 km2 site is the shallowest of the four sites, ranging in depth from 14 to 24 meters, and has two distinct management areas within its boundaries. One is the 300 meter wide submarine transit corridor to allow passage for submarines to the US Navy base in Groton, CT, and the other is the New York-Connecticut state boundary line (approximately 0.43 km2 of the south east corner of NLDS lies in New York state waters.) Similar to CLIS, confined disposal methods are suitable for NLDS. Because of lobster fishing and oyster spawning during the summer, disposal is restricted at CLIS from June 1 through September 30. NLDS has been actively monitored by DAMOS since 1977.