Modelers have been forced to base exchange coefficients upon a limited number of empirical values. which are then used to estimate conditions at sites with widely differing physical and chemical characteristics. Assessment of contaminants in the surface waters of the Southeast and Island region can be improved with additional information in this area. On a national level, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is just beginning to develop sediment quality criteria. Interim criteria are based on a conservative translation of water quality criteria. Unfortunately, the American economy does not support trial and error or overly conservative water quality management approaches.
American industry needs finely tuned guidance and regulations to remain globally competitive.
These guiding regulations must be firmly based on scientific knowledge and validation data. Such advances will therefore assist in managing toxic hot spots in the Great Lakes, critical estuaries in Florida and along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, San Francisco Bay, Puget Sound, Chesapeake Bay, and in major rivers like the Mississippi, Columbia. and Hudson. The 1993 Mid-West flood yielded elevated levels of pesticides and nutrients that contaminated sediments throughout the Mississippi and into the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, neither the magnitude or location of sediment contamination could be predicted. Hot spots of phosphorous are leaching into Charleston Harbor at unknown rates, potentially contributing to future eutrophication.