As a result, taking of fish for consumption from the river has been restricted by the State of New York. Effects of contaminated sediment on water quality can be reduced by a number of control or treatment technologies. Alternatives for reducing or eliminating contaminant transport from the sediment into the water column include isolating the contaminated sediment from the water by capping with a layer of clean sediment or chemically solidifying the sediment in place. Other remediation options involve removing the contaminated material from the waterway and treating or disposing of the dredged material so that contaminants are removed, destroyed, immobilized, or efficiently contained within a disposal site. However, treatment options that efficiently extract or destroy contaminants are expensive, and unrestricted disposal in a confined disposal facility provides the potential for leaching of contaminants and pollution of groundwater or surface water.
Stabilization can be both physical and chemical.
Solidification usually provides physical stabilization but not necessarily chemical stabilization. Physical stabilization refers to improved engineering properties such as bearing capacity, trafficability, and permeability. Alteration of the physical character of the material to form a solid material reduces the accessibility of water to the contaminants within a cemented matrix and entraps or microencapsulates the contaminated solids within a dimensionally stable matrix. Chemical stabilization is the alteration of the chemical form of the contaminants to make them resistant to aqueous leaching. Anions, which are more difficult to bind in insoluble compounds, may be immobilized by entrapment or microencapsulation.