Dredging, what is the best approach for New Jersey?

This report presents the findings to date of Governor Whitman's Dredged Materials Management Team--a task force instituted to seek short term solutions to the most pressing dredging problems present in the Port of New York and New Jersey. Businesses whose operations depend upon ship access to the Port are concerned that dredging must occur imminently to ensure continued ship passage. In recent years, state and federal agencies have determined that dredged materials from the Port of New York and New Jersey are contaminated. Because of the continued need for the Port to be dredged, increased environmental concerns, and increased costs for ocean disposal, Governor Christine Todd Whitman established, in June of 1994, a Task Force--the Dredged Materials Management Team--with a mission to develop short term (0-3 years) management options for the disposal of contaminated dredged materials from the New Jersey side of the Port of New York and New Jersey. This Interim Report presents a summary of the facts collected by the Team to date and raises questions to be answered as the Team continues its work. The interim report discusses the following: volumes; sediment characterization; levels of contamination; disposal options; and findings