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Katherine Bruce USEPAOCPD

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Title: Katherine Bruce USEPAOCPD


1
Marine Debris Programs
  • Katherine Bruce (USEPA/OCPD)
  • September 7, 2005

2
History
  • Early 70s ships were identified as a major
    source of debris
  • National Academy of Sciences estimated that ships
    dumped 14 billion pounds of garbage into the
    ocean
  • EPA believed that ocean based sources were not
    the only problem

3
Statutes
  • CWA
  • London Convention
  • Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act
  • MARPOL
  • Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act
  • Shore Protection Act
  • BEACH Act

4
Clean Water Act (CWA)
  • Requires EPA to establish regulations that treat
    storm water as point source discharges that must
    be regulated
  • Two Phases under the National Pollutant Discharge
    Elimination System (NPDES) Storm Water Program
  • Phase I Requires NPDES permit coverage for storm
    water discharges from storm water associated with
    industrial activity and from municipal separate
    storm sewer systems (MS4s)
  • Phase II Requires NPDES permit coverage for
    storm water discharges from construction sites
    between 1 and 5 acres and from MS4s areas

5
Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution
by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter
  • London Convention (1972)
  • Intentional at-sea dumping of garbage generated
    on land became subject to international control
  • Helps to control marine pollution from dredging,
    sewage sludge, and other land based wastes

6
Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act
(MPRSA)
  • Enacted by Congress in 1977
  • Designed to prohibit the transport for the
    purpose of dumping into the ocean of any
    persistent inert synthetic or natural materials
    which may float or remain in suspension in the
    ocean
  • EPA is responsible for issuing permits for
    dumping of wastes at sea

7
1978 Protocol to the 1973 International
Convention for the Prevention of Pollution by
Ships
  • MARPOL Convention (1978)
  • Addressed international at-sea disposal of
    garbage generated during the routine operation of
    ships
  • Annex V established regulations on discharging
    ship-generated garbage, including a prohibition
    on discharging any plastics at sea
  • Special Area Designations
  • All overboard discharges of garbage are prohibited

8
Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act
(MPPRCA)
  • Enacted by Congress in 1987
  • Domestic legislation that implements the
    international treaty (MARPOL)
  • Designed to prohibit ships from disposing of
    plastics within the U.S. EEZ
  • Required EPA to support the need for public
    education and involvement in solving the marine
    debris problem
  • Directed EPA to conduct a program to encourage
    the formation of volunteer groups to assist in
    the monitoring, reporting, cleanup, and
    prevention of ocean and shoreline pollution

9
Shore Protection Act (SPA)
  • Enacted by Congress in 1988
  • Designed to minimize trash, medical debris and
    other harmful materials from being deposited into
    coastal waters as a result of inadequate waste
    handling procedures by vessels transporting waste
  • Required EPA and DOT to implement SPA
  • EPA is responsible for developing regulations
    addressing waste handling practices of waste
    transfer vessels

10
Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal
Health Act (BEACH)
  • Enacted by Congress on October 10, 2000
  • Designed to reduce the risk of disease to users
    of the Nations coastal recreation waters
  • BEACH Act Authorizes EPA
  • To award program development and implementation
    grants to support microbiological testing and
    monitoring of coastal recreational waters, that
    are adjacent to beaches
  • Grants also provide support for developing and
    implementing programs to notify the public of the
    potential exposure to disease-causing
    microorganisms
  • To provide technical assistance to states and
    local governments for the assessment and
    monitoring of floatable debris

11
Programs/Studies
  • EPA Harbor Studies Program
  • Plastic Pellet Containment
  • International Coastal Cleanup
  • Combined Sewer Overflows Studies Program
  • Storm Drain Sentries Program
  • Clean Marina Program
  • National Marine Debris Monitoring Program
  • Education and Outreach

12
EPA Harbor Studies Program
  • Sampling during 1988-1990
  • Develop sampling data for debris in the water
  • Survey data card developed by CMC/TOC was used
    for first two surveys
  • New categories were added to accommodate the need
    for more detailed data (particularly smaller
    debris items such as pellets)

13
Plastic Pellet Containment
  • EPA Report Plastic Pellets in the Aquatic
    Environment Sources and Recommendations
  • EPA worked with the Society of the Plastics
    Industry, Inc. (SPI) to characterize process
    operations in the plastics industry and to
    identify potential sources of pellet losses to
    the environment
  • Some EPA Recommendations
  • Adopt the SPI 1991 Pellet Retention Environmental
    Code and the 1992 Processors Pledge
  • Educated employees and train them to minimize
    pellet spillage and loss
  • Install pellet containment systems or use
    portable containment apparatuses
  • Recycle spilled pellets
  • Inspect shipping containers

14
International Coastal Cleanup (ICC)
  • Established in mid-80s (First Cleanup in Texas)
  • Primary vehicle supporting requirements of MPPRCA
  • EPA has supported the ICC for all 20 years
  • Initially EPA supported the ICC through NOAA
  • Upon NOAA reorganization of their Marine Debris
    Program, EPA became the primary federal support
  • Success of the ICC is result of volunteers and
    sponsorships

15
Combined Sewer Overflows Studies Program
  • Established in 1989
  • Designed to supplement existing information on
    CSOs and storm water discharges (SWDs) as sources
    of floatable debris to the aquatic environment
  • Three Goals
  • Characterize CSOs and SWDs as land-based sources
    of plastic debris in the aquatic environment
  • Determine the types and relative amounts of
    floating debris contributed by these two sources
  • Characterize the types and composition of debris
    in Philadelphia and Boston sewage treatment
    plants and publicly owned treatment works to
    determine the potential waste releases from these
    facilities during system failures

16
Storm Drain Sentries Program
  • Developed to raise awareness and prevent
    floatable debris from being washed down storm
    drains
  • Involves more than 90 Organizations and 34 States
  • 330,000 Storm Drains
  • Public Messages
  • Dont Dump! Protect Your Water.

17
Clean Marina Program
  • EPA Document National Management Measures
    Guidance to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution
    from Marinas and Recreational Boating
  • Promotes clean marinas through management
    measures and practices to achieve clean water
  • Voluntary Program aimed at increasing awareness
    of clean water at and within marinas

18
National Marine Debris Monitoring Program (NMDMP)
  • EPA along with other federal agencies helped to
    design NMDMP
  • EPA is supporting TOC in the implementation of
    the study
  • Designed to gather scientifically valid marine
    debris data following a statistical protocol
  • NMDMP
  • Establishment for 180 monitoring sites
  • Run for 5 years

19
Education and Outreach
  • Development of marine debris school curriculum in
    English and Spanish (1992-1994)
  • CDs sent out to local schools
  • Earth Day Activities
  • Popeye PSA
  • Recycling Efforts

20
Next Steps
  • Data collected from ICC and NMDMP will help to
    determine future EPA efforts
  • What are the major sources?
  • Where should we target our education efforts?
  • What regulatory authorities can we use?
  • Education and Outreach
  • Interagency Task Force
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