About the Program:
Program Committees & Work Groups - Toxics

Goals of the Toxics Module: 

• To restore and maintain a healthy and productive Harbor/Bight ecosystem, with no adverse ecological effects due to toxic contamination
  
  
• To ensure fish, crustaceans, and shellfish caught in the Harbor/Bight are safe for unrestricted human consumption
  
• To ensure that dredged sediments in the Harbor are safe for unrestricted ocean disposal

One of the most critical problems of the New York – New Jersey Harbor Estuary is the in-place and ongoing discharge of toxic chemicals to the ecosystem. High levels of chemicals such as PCBs, dioxin, PAHs, mercury, and pesticides have caused the states to issue health advisories against eating fish caught in the estuary.  In addition, these contaminants have accumulated in the Harbor’s bottom sediments, making disposal of dredged material difficult and costly.  

One of the most important initiatives to address the toxics problem has been the Contaminant Assessment and Reduction Project (CARP), a $30 million effort to quantify the sources and ambient levels of contaminants in the estuary’s water, sediments, and biota. (Click Here for more info on CARP).

The Work Group is currently focused on developing Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for toxics for the harbor. The TMDL is a regulatory tool that helps set limits on the amount of each chemical contaminant that can be released to the estuary in a 24-hour period in order to ensure that water quality standards are met. 

For more information about the Toxics Work Group, contact Rosella O’Connor at 212-637-3823. 

Meeting Minutes  

• January 7, 2002 | PDF
• October 15, 2001 | PDF
• March 9, 2001 | PDF
• January 31, 2001 | PDF
• September 22, 1999 | PDF
• May 19, 1999 | PDF
• February 26, 1999 | PDF
• December 10, 1998 | PDF

 

New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program • 290 Broadway, 24th Floor • New York, NY 10007-1866
Phone: 212-637-3816 • Fax: 212-637-3889 • E-mail: info@harborestuary.org