Northwest Regional Sediment Evaluation Framework Interim Final September 2006 INTERIM FINAL SEDIMENT EVALUATION FRAMEWORK FOR THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST Prepared by • US Army Corps of Engineers - Seattle District, Portland District, Walla Walla District, and Northwestern Division; • Environmental Protection Agency Region 10; • Washington Department of Ecology; • Washington Department of Natural Resources; • Oregon Department of Environmental Quality; • Idaho Department of Environmental Quality; • National Marine Fisheries Service; and • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. September 2006 Sediment Evaluation Framework for the Pacific Northwest September 30, 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. GOALS, DESCRIPTION, AND ORGANIZATION 1-1 1.1 INTRODUCTION 1-1 1.2 SCOPE, APPLICABILITY, AND LIMITATIONS 1-2 1.3 HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL 1-3 1.4 FRAMEWORK OBJECTIVES 1-5 1.5 EVALUATION PROCEDURES PHILOSOPHY 1-7 1.5.1 Characteristics of this SEF 1-7 1.5.2 The Need for Flexibility in Application of Evaluation Procedures 1-8 1.6 STUDY PARTICIPANTS AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT 1-9 1.6.1 RSET Structure and Process 1-10 1.6.2 RSET Subcommittees 1-12 1.6.3 SEF Continuous Improvement/Adaptive Management 1-13 1.6.4 Regulatory/Technical Sediment Interface 1-13 1.6.5 Region-Wide Interpretation of Test Results 1-14 1.6.6 Database Management 1-14 1.6.7 Dispute Resolution 1-14 1.6.8 Public Involvement/National Environmental Policy Act 1-15 2. SEDIMENT MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS 2-1 2.1 OVERVIEW 2-1 2.2 FEDERAL REGULATIONS OVERVIEW 2-1 2.2.1 Dredged Material Management 2-1 2.2.2 Rivers and Harbors Act Section 10/Clean Water Act Section 404 2-2 2.2.3 Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 2-4 2.2.4 Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 2-5 2.2.5 Endangered Species Act of 1973 2-5 2.2.6 Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 2-6 2.2.7 Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1996 2-6 2.2.8 National Environmental Policy Act 2-7 2.3 TRIBAL REGULATIONS 2-7 2.4 WASHINGTON STATE REGULATIONS 2-7 2.4.1 Section 401 Certification Program 2-7 2.4.2 Hydraulic Project Approval 2-8 2.4.2.1 Aquatic Lands Act 2-8 2.4.3 Model Toxics Control Act 2-8 2.4.3.1 Sediment Management Standards 2-9 2.4.3.2 Shoreline Management Act 2-9 2.5 OREGON STATE REGULATIONS 2-10 2.5.1 Coastal Program Approval 2-10 2.5.2 Section 401 Certification Program 2-10 2.5.3 Removal/Fill Permit 2-10 2.5.4 State Beaches 2-11 2.5.5 Solid and Hazardous Waste 2-11 I:\WP\3064-RSET\Corps-RSET\CamRdy (Sept 06)\RSET_Sept_28.doc iii INTERIM FINAL Sediment Evaluation Framework for the Pacific Northwest September 30, 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 2.5.6 Cleanup Authority 2-11 2.6 IDAHO STATE REGULATIONS 2-11 2.6.1 Section 401 Certification Program 2-11 2.6.2 Other Idaho Authorities 2-13 3. REGULATORY PROCESS AND SEDIMENT EVALUATION 3-1 3.1 INTRODUCTION 3-1 3.2 OVERVIEW 3-1 3.3 CONSISTENCY IN APPLICATION OF THIS SEF 3-2 3.4 REGULATORY PROCESS 3-2 3.5 RSET PROCESS 3-4 3.6 CONFLICT RESOLUTION PROCESS 3-6 3.7 VERIFICATION OF MULTI-YEAR MAINTENANCE DREDGING PERMITS 3-7 3.8 PROCESS FOR CORPS CIVIL WORKS DREDGING 3-7 3.9 CONTAMINATED SEDIMENT EVALUATION 3-8 4. EVALUATION FRAMEWORK 4-1 4.1 INTRODUCTION 4-1 4.2 CONSIDER PROGRAM OBJECTIVES 4-4 4.2.1 Conceptual Site Model 4-4 4.2.2 Developing Assessment Questions 4-6 4.2.3 Dredging Projects 4-6 4.2.4 Contaminated Sediment Projects 4-9 4.3 LEVELS AND MULTIPLE LINES OF EVIDENCE 4-9 4.4 LEVEL 1 4-15 4.4.1 Initial Assessment 4-15 4.4.2 Primary Assessment 4-17 4.4.3 Use of Guidelines 4-18 4.5 LEVEL 2—DREDGING ASSESSMENT 4-19 4.5.1 Physical and Chemical Testing 4-20 4.5.2 Biological and Bioaccumulation Testing 4-20 4.5.3 Special Evaluations 4-20 4.6 LEVEL 2—CONTAMINATED SITE ASSESSMENT 4-21 4.6.1 Sediment/Site Assessment 4-21 4.6.2 Evaluation and Selection of Management Alternatives 4-22 5. SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS PLAN 5-1 5.1 OVERVIEW 5-1 5.2 INFORMATION REQUIRED IN A SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS PLAN (BASED ON REGULATORY PROGRAM) 5-2 5.3 PROCESS OF RANKING A SITE (DREDGING) 5-4 5.3.1 Initial Management Area Rankings 5-4 5.3.2 Project Specific Evaluations 5-5 5.4 DETERMINATION OF SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS REQUIREMENTS 5-6 I:\WP\3064-RSET\Corps-RSET\CamRdy (Sept 06)\RSET_Sept_28.doc iv INTERIM FINAL Sediment Evaluation Framework for the Pacific Northwest September 30, 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 5.5 DETERMINATION OF DREDGED MATERIAL VOLUMES 5-8 5.6 PREPARATION AND SUBMITTAL OF A DRAFT SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS PLAN 5-9 5.7 FREQUENCY OF DREDGING GUIDELINE 5-10 5.8 RECENCY OF DATA GUIDELINE 5-10 5.9 SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS CONSIDERATIONS FOR SPECIAL CASES 5-11 5.9.1 Establishment of Exclusionary Status 5-11 5.9.2 Confirmation of Project Ranking 5-12 5.9.3 Exceptions for Small Projects 5-12 5.9.4 New Surface Material Exposed by Dredging 5-13 6. SAMPLING PROTOCOLS 6-1 6.1 OVERVIEW 6-1 6.2 SAMPLING APPROACH 6-1 6.3 POSITIONING METHODS 6-3 6.4 SAMPLING METHODS 6-4 6.4.1 Core Sampling 6-4 6.4.2 Grab Sampling 6-5 6.5 SAMPLE COLLECTION AND HANDLING PROCEDURES 6-6 6.5.1 Decontamination Procedures 6-6 6.5.2 Sample Collection 6-6 6.5.3 Volatiles and Sulfides Subsampling 6-7 6.5.4 Field Measurements and Observations 6-7 6.5.5 Compositing and Subsampling 6-8 6.5.6 Sample Storage, Sample Transport, and Holding Times 6-9 6.5.7 Chain-of-Custody Procedures 6-10 6.6 QUALITY ASSURANCE/QUALITY CONTROL CONSIDERATIONS 6-10 6.6.1 Trip Blanks 6-10 6.6.2 Equipment Rinsate Blank Samples 6-10 6.6.3 Field or Decontamination Water Blanks 6-11 6.6.4 Duplicate (Blind) Field Samples 6-11 6.7 ARCHIVING ADDITIONAL SEDIMENT 6-11 6.8 DATA SUBMITTAL 6-12 7. PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL TESTING 7-1 7.1 OVERVIEW 7-1 7.2 GENERAL TESTING PROTOCOLS 7-4 7.3 CONVENTIONAL TESTING PROTOCOLS 7-7 7.4 GRAIN SIZE/ORGANIC CARBON SCREENING 7-8 7.5 CHEMICAL TESTING PROTOCOLS AND GUIDELINES 7-9 7.5.1 Standard List of Chemicals of Concern. 7-9 7.5.2 Chemicals of Special Occurrence 7-10 7.5.3 Evaluation and Nomination of Emerging Chemicals 7-11 7.6 TISSUE TESTING 7-12 I:\WP\3064-RSET\Corps-RSET\CamRdy (Sept 06)\RSET_Sept_28.doc v INTERIM FINAL Sediment Evaluation Framework for the Pacific Northwest September 30, 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 7.7 DATA QUALITY AND REPORTING 7-13 7.7.1 Quality Assurance/ Quality Control 7-13 7.7.2 Analytical Sensitivity 7-13 7.7.3 Reporting of Estimated Concentrations below the SQL 7-14 7.7.4 Chemical Summations 7-15 7.8 BENTHIC INTERPRETIVE GUIDELINES 7-16 7.8.1 Data Sources 7-17 7.8.2 Freshwater vs. Marine Screening Levels 7-18 7.8.3 Dry Weight vs. Carbon-Normalized Values 7-18 7.8.4 Dredging Projects 7-19 7.8.5 Contaminated Sediment Projects 7-20 8. BIOLOGICAL (TOXICITY) TESTING 8-1 8.1 OVERVIEW 8-1 8.2 SEDIMENT SOLID PHASE BIOLOGICAL TESTS 8-2 8.2.1 Marine Bioassays 8-2 8.2.2 Freshwater Bioassays 8-3 8.2.3 Bioassay Testing Performance Standards 8-4 8.2.4 Bioassay Interpretive Criteria 8-8 8.3 REFERENCE SEDIMENT COLLECTION SITES 8-12 9. BIOACCUMULATION EVALUATION 9-1 9.1 OVERVIEW 9-1 9.2 BIOACCUMULATIVE CONTAMINANTS OF CONCERN 9-3 9.3 REASON TO BELIEVE 9-4 9.4 LABORATORY BIOACCUMULATION TESTING 9-8 9.5 IN SITU BIOACCUMULATION TESTING 9-9 9.5.1 Marine/Estuarine In Situ Tests 9-9 9.5.2 Freshwater In Situ Tests 9-10 9.6 COLLECTION OF FIELD ORGANISMS 9-10 9.7 INTERPRETIVE GUIDELINES FOR BIOACCUMULATION DATA 9-10 9.7.1 Bioaccumulation Triggers for Tissues 9-11 9.7.2 Bioaccumulation Triggers for Sediments 9-12 9.7.3 Collection of Missing Data 9-14 9.8 DERIVATION OF BIOACCUMULATION TRIGGERS 9-14 9.8.1 Tissue Bioaccumulation Triggers for Aquatic Life 9-15 9.8.1.1 Protocols for the Development of Tissue Bioaccumulation Triggers 9-16 9.8.1.2 Species Sensitivity Distribution Approach 9-17 9.8.1.3 Bioaccumulation Modeling Approach 9-18 9.8.1.4 Molar Residues Associated with Known Modes of Toxic Action 9-19 9.8.1.5 Chemicals for Which Tissue Residue Values Cannot Be Derived 9-20 9.8.1.6 Sensitivity of Endangered Species to Chemicals 9-21 I:\WP\3064-RSET\Corps-RSET\CamRdy (Sept 06)\RSET_Sept_28.doc vi INTERIM FINAL Sediment Evaluation Framework for the Pacific Northwest September 30, 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 9.8.2 Tissue Bioaccumulation Triggers for Aquatic-Dependent Wildlife 9-22 9.8.2.1 Defining Aquatic-Dependent Wildlife Receptors 9-22 9.8.2.2 Development of Tissue Bioaccumulation Triggers 9-24 9.8.2.3 Establishing Prey Tissue Bioaccumulation Triggers Using Dietary Toxicity Reference Value Studies 9-24 9.8.2.4 Establishing Prey Tissue Bioaccumulation Triggers Using Egg-Based Toxicity Reference Value Studies 9-26 9.8.3 Tissue Bioaccumulation Triggers for Human Health 9-27 9.8.3.1 Selection of a Target Risk and Hazard Index.