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