Public Hearings Wednesday On EPA's New Proposed Dredge Spoil Site in Long Island Sound

NORTH FORK, NY - Two public meetings will be held in Mattituck and Riverhead Wednesday regarding a proposed dredged material site to be located in the Long Island Sound off New London Harbor, not far from Southold Town.

The first public meeting takes place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., with registration beginning at 12:30 p.m., at the Suffolk County Community College Culinary Arts Center, at 10 East Main Street in Riverhead. The second takes place at the Mattituck-Laurel Library, at 13900 Main Road, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., with registration beginning at 5 p.m.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency issued the proposal to designate a dredged material disposal site to serve the eastern Long Island Sound region; the eastern Long Island Sound disposal site, or ELDS, would be located offshore from New London, Connecticut, and would be available for the disposal of dredged material from harbors and navigation channels in eastern Long Island Sound in New York and Connecticut.

The EPA says its aim is to "support the goal of reducing or eliminating open-water disposal of dredged material in the Sound. These restrictions are intended to promote the beneficial use of dredged material, such as beach nourishment, or other alternatives to open-water disposal whenever practicable."

The New London site, which was initially scheduled for closure, would remain open and be expanded to the west.

Environmentalists have expressed outraged at the continued use of the sound for dumping of dredge spoils.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers estimates the dredging needs in eastern Long Island Sound to be approximately 22.6 million cubic yards over the next 30 years, which the New London site could facilitate.

The public hearings are in response to a draft environmental impact statement, that's available for public comment and review until June 27.

The designation of dredged material disposal sites by EPA only makes those sites available for use by future dredging projects; it does not authorize the disposal of any material from any project, the EPA said. "Any proposal to place dredged material at the ELDS will have a project-specific authorization and must satisfy the stringent requirements of the ocean disposal regulations. Dredged material that does not pass the stringent testing requirements and is determined to be toxic are not, and will not in the future, be placed in the open waters of Long Island Sound. These materials currently and in the future will require either containment or treatment," the EPA said.