[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 40, Volume 24]

[Revised as of July 1, 2006]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 40CFR227.32]



[Page 216-217]

 

                   TITLE 40--PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT

 

         CHAPTER I--ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED)

 

PART 227_CRITERIA FOR THE EVALUATION OF PERMIT APPLICATIONS FOR OCEAN 

DUMPING OF MATERIALS--Table of Contents

 

                          Subpart G_Definitions

 

Sec.  227.32  Liquid, suspended particulate, and solid phases of a 

material.



    (a) For the purposes of these regulations, the liquid phase of a 

material, subject to the exclusions of paragraph (b) of this section, is 

the supernatant remaining after one hour undisturbed settling, after 

centrifugation and filtration through a 0.45 micron filter. The 

suspended particulate phase is the supernatant as obtained above prior 

to centrifugation and filtration. The solid phase includes all material 

settling to the bottom in one hour. Settling shall be conducted 

according to procedures approved by EPA.

    (b) For dredged material, other material containing large 

proportions of insoluble matter, materials which may interact with ocean 

water to form insoluble matter or new toxic compounds, or materials 

which may release toxic compounds upon deposition, the Administrator, 

Regional Administrator, or the District Engineer, as the case may be, 

may require that the separation of liquid, suspended particulate, and 

solid phases of the material be performed upon a mixture of the waste 

with ocean water rather than on the material itself. In such cases the 

following procedures shall be used:

    (1) For dredged material, the liquid phase is considered to be the 

centrifuged and 0.45 micron filtered supernatant remaining after one 

hour undisturbed settling of the mixture resulting from a vigorous 30-

minute agitation of one part bottom sediment from the dredging site with 

four parts water (vol/vol) collected from the dredging site or from the 

disposal site, as appropriate for the type of dredging operation. The 

suspended particulate phase is the supernatant as obtained above prior 

to centrifugation and filtration. The solid phase is considered to be 

all material settling to the bottom within one hour. Settling shall be 

conducted by procedures approved by EPA and the Corps of Engineers.

    (2) For other materials, the proportion of ocean water used shall be 

the minimum amount necessary to produce the anticipated effect (e.g., 

complete neutralization of an acid or alkaline



[[Page 217]]



waste) based on guidance provided by EPA on particular cases, or in 

accordance with approved EPA procedures. For such materials the liquid 

phase is the filtered and centrifuged supernatant resulting from the 

mixture after 30 minutes of vigorous shaking followed by undisturbed 

settling for one hour. The suspended particulate phase is the 

supernatant as obtained above prior to centrifugation and filtration. 

The solid phase is the insoluble material settling to the bottom in that 

period.