Use of ecological risk assessment data to establish surface water and sediment media protection standards for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Kittery, Maine USA. Professional paper

Technical Report · Sat Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994

OSTI ID:195186

Johnston, R K; Munns, W R; Short, F T; Hahn, S

United States Federal Regulations, required for compliance with the Hazardous and Solid Waste Act, direct the permittee to propose Media Protection Standards (MPS) for hazardous chemicals that may have been released from their facility. Data and information developed from an ecological risk assessment conducted for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, located in the Piscataqua River and Great Bay Estuary in New Hampshire and Maine, were used to provide the technical basis and justification for determining adverse chemical concentrations, estimating safe chemical levels, and proposing MPS for surface water and sediment. The ecological risk assessment framework was applied to develop a functional approach for relating observations of chemical levels (exposure) to observations of ecological impact (effect). Two screening procedures, one for surface water and the other for sediment, were used to screen exposure and effects data collected from the estuary surrounding the Shipyard. Chemical levels protective of marine resources were derived for the set of chemicals potentially released from Shipyard operations. The MPS proposed can be used to target areas that require possible corrective actions or restoration.

• Research Organization: Naval Command, Control and Ocean Surveillance Center, San Diego, CA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 195186
• Report Number(s): AD-A--298864/0/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
CHEMICAL SPILLS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
REGULATORY GUIDES
REMEDIAL ACTION
RISK ASSESSMENT
WATER CHEMISTRY
WATER POLLUTION