Status of Efforts To Phase Out Ocean Dumping of Municipal Sewage Sludge

A review of the status of efforts to phase out the ocean dumping of municipal sewage sludge by December 31, 1981, as mandated by legislation was presented. Although substantial funding has been invested in the planning and implementation of alternatives to ocean dumping of municipal sludge since 1973, no net reduction in volume has been achieved to date. Further, the volume of sludge to be ocean dumped is projected to double by 1981. Dumpers may have difficulty meeting the deadline. For those dumpers who plan to implement interim land-based alternatives to ocean dumping, problems exist with respect to potential ground water pollution, pathogenic disease, and strong public opposition to project sites. Long-term solutions to ocean dumping, particularly thermal-based projects, also pose uncertainties in terms of potential air pollution and ash disposal problems. Extension of the 1981 deadline might stall the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) efforts to phase out ocean dumping; however, some flexibility will be needed for those dumpers who will not meet the deadline. To provide for this flexibility, it would seem appropriate for Congress to authorize EPA to grant waivers of the deadline on a case by case basis. To provide an economic incentive for a continuation of phase-out efforts for those dumpers granted waivers, EPA should require that all or part of the sludge produced be dumped at a site further off shore. It should permit dumpers to continue using existing sites but seek congressional authority to require them to deposit in a fund the difference in the cost of dumping at those sites and a site further off shore. Land-based alternatives should be monitored closely.