Committees & Work Groups - Toxics

Goals of the Toxics Module: 

• To restore and maintain a healthy and productive Harbor/Bight ecosystem, with no adverse ecological effects due to toxic contamination
  
  
• To ensure fish, crustaceans, and shellfish caught in the Harbor/Bight are safe for unrestricted human consumption
  
• To ensure that dredged sediments in the Harbor are safe for unrestricted ocean disposal

One of the most critical problems of the New York – New Jersey Harbor Estuary is the in-place and ongoing discharge of toxic chemicals to the ecosystem. High levels of chemicals such as PCBs, dioxin, PAHs, mercury, and pesticides have caused the states to issue health advisories against eating fish caught in the estuary.  In addition, these contaminants have accumulated in the Harbor’s bottom sediments, making disposal of dredged material difficult and costly.  

One of the most important initiatives to address the toxics problem has been the Contaminant Assessment and Reduction Project (CARP), a $30 million effort to quantify the sources and ambient levels of contaminants in the estuary’s water, sediments, and biota. (Click Here for more info on CARP).

The Work Group is currently focused on developing Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for toxics for the harbor. The TMDL is a regulatory tool that helps set limits on the amount of each chemical contaminant that can be released to the estuary in a 24-hour period in order to ensure that water quality standards are met. 

For more information about the Toxics Work Group, contact Rosella O’Connor at 212-637-3823. 

Meeting Minutes  

• January 7, 2002 | PDF
• October 15, 2001 | PDF
• March 9, 2001 | PDF
• January 31, 2001 | PDF
• September 22, 1999 | PDF
• May 19, 1999 | PDF
• February 26, 1999 | PDF
• December 10, 1998 | PDF
  
  

Related Presentations:
Note: presentations listed below with over a 1 MB file size are noted

• Update on NY-NJ Mercury Model Enhancement (March 2011) | PDF
  
  
• Status of Modeling Work Supporting Toxics
  TMDL Evaluations (June 12, 2009) | PDF (1.1 MB)
  
  
• Final Withdrawal of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for Copper in the Arthur Kill and Kill Van Kull and Final Establishment of a TMDL for Nickel in the Hackensack River. Prepared for U.S. EPA. December 1999. | PDF
  
  
• Summary of the Phase I Metals Sampling and Analysis Program for the New Jersey Component of the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Program. Prepared by the Great Lakes Environmental Center for the New Jersey Harbor Dispatchers Group. March 5, 1996. | PDF (4 MB file)
  
  
• Support Document for Withdrawal of Copper Phase I Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) in the New Jersey waters of the NY-NJ Harbor. December 12, 1996. | PDF
  
  
• Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for Copper, Mercury, Nickel and Lead in NY-NJ Harbor. Prepared by U.S. EPA, NYSDEC, NJDEP. July 1994 | PDF (0.7 MB file)
  
  
• Survey of Toxicity in New York-New Jersey Harbor Ambient Waters: The Importance of Characterizing Small Scale Variation. Science Applications International Corporation. September 1994.
  
  
• Biomonitoring Using Selected Marine Birds from Montauk, NY to Cape May, New Jersey, J. Burger, Rutgers Univ. and M. Gochfeld, UMDNJ, Jan. 1994.
  
  
• Study of PCB in New York/New Jersey Point Sources. Task 2 (Data Report). Prepared for U.S. EPA by Battelle Ocean Sciences. January 29, 1993.
  
  
• Toxic Assessment of New York-New Jersey Harbor Ambient Waters. Science Applications International Corporation, March 1993.
  
  
• Evaluation of Trace Metals Levels in Combined Sewer Overflows and Wet Weather Influents. Battelle Ocean Sciences. Final report submitted to NYCDEP (with addendum), January 1993.
  
  
• Toxicity Testing to Support the NY-NJ Harbor Site-Specific Copper Criteria Study. Science Applications International Corporation. September 1993.
  
  
• Development of Total Maximum Daily Loads and Wasteload Allocations (TMDLs/WLAs) Procedure for Toxic Metals in NY/NJ Harbor: Modeling Report and Appendices. Prepared for U.S. EPA Region II and HEP by HydroQual, Inc. September 1995. | PDF (Modeling Report, 7.8 MB file) | PDF (Appendices, 4.4 MB file)
  
  
• Design of a Regional Sediment Quality Assessment, R-EMAP and HEP Workshop Summary Package. February 1993.
  
  
• Physical Oceanographic Results from the May 1991 Intensive Master Station Survey in NY/NJ Harbor, Battelle Ocean Sciences, Jan. 1992.
  
  
• Evaluation of Trace Metals Levels in NY/NJ Harbor Ambient Waters and Tributaries (May 1991 Master Station Survey). Battelle Ocean Sciences, May 1992 (PDF) (2.1 MB file). January 1992 (PDF) (1.8 MB file)
  
  
• Evaluation of Trace Metals in NY/NJ Harbor Ambient Waters, Tributaries, and Discharges During Low-Flow Conditions for Waste Load Allocation. Battelle Ocean Sciences. Final report submitted to NYCDEP, June 1992.
  
  
• Sediment Toxicity and Concentrations of Trace Metals in Sediment and Pore Water in NY/NJ Harbor. Battelle Ocean Sciences. Final report submitted to NYCDEP, June 18, 1992. | PDF (4 MB file)
  
  
• Study of PCB in New York/New Jersey Point Sources. Task 1 (Methods Verification). Prepared for U.S. EPA by Battelle Ocean Sciences. September 30, 1992.
  
  
• Statistical Analysis of Interlaboratory Differences in Metals Concentrations. Coastal Environmental Services and Hudson River Foundation. February 1992.
  
  
• Review of Effects and Interaction of Hypoxia and Toxic Chemicals. A. Keller, Univ. of Rhode Island, and K. Squibb, NYU, June 1992. 
  
  
• Assessment of Pollutant Loadings. HydroQual, Inc., Jan. 1991. | PDF (7.3 MB file)
  
  
• Assessment of the Floatables Action Plan for 1990. New York Bight Restoration Plan, Phase III Report, Attachment 1. February 1991.
  
  
• Assessment of Ambient Water on Early Life Stages. P. Weis, Univ. of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ, April 1991.
  
  
• Toxics Characterization Report, K. Squibb, et al., NYU, July 1991.
  
  
• Comprehensive Plan for Addressing Floatable Debris in the New York Bight. New York Bight Restoration Plan, Phase III Report, Attachment 2. July 1991.
  
  
• Evaluation of Trace Metals Levels in Ambient Waters and Discharges to NY/NJ Harbor for Wasteload Allocation (January 1991 Survey), Battelle Ocean Sciences, Sept. 1991 | PDF (3.2 MB file)
  
  
• Results of the Ambient and Municipal Sample Interlaboratory Comparison Study of Trace Metals in Ambient Waters and Discharges to NY/NJ Harbor. Battelle Ocean Sciences. September 1991. 
  
  
• Synoptic Water Column Turbidity Survey. Battelle Ocean Sciences. August 1991.
  
  
• Toxics Characterization Report, K. Squibb, et al., NYU, July 1991.
  
  
• Synthesis of Information on the Distribution of Benthic Invertebrates in the Hudson/Raritan System, A. Cristini, Ramapo College, July 1991. | PDF ( Report, 3.1 MB file) | PDF (Appendices, 9.7 MB file)
  
  
• Preliminary Plan for Addressing Floatable Debris in the New York Bight. New York Bight Restoration Plan, Phase II Report, Attachment 2. January 1990.
  
  
• Preliminary New York Bight Toxics Categorization. New York Bight Restoration Plan, Phase II Report, Attachment 4. June 1990.
  
  
• Pilot Project to Encourage Proper Handling and Recycling of Marine Debris at a Series of Small Ports in New Jersey. L. Doherty, NJDEP. December 1990.
  
  
• Toxicant Accumulation and Effects on Birds. J. Burger, Rutgers Univ., Sept. 1990 | PDF (10.6 MB file)
  
  
• Assessment of Pollutant Inputs to New York Bight. New York Bight Restoration Plan, Phase I Report, Attachment III. March 1989.
  
  
• Short-Term Action Plan for Addressing Floatable Debris in the NY Bight. New York Bight Restoration Plan, Phase I Report, Attachment VIII. March 1989.
  
  
• Assessment of the Floatables Action Plan. New York Bight Restoration Plan, Phase II Report, Attachment 1. Summer 1989.

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