Ocean Dumping Phaseout Deadline for Municipal Sewage Sludge

The purpose of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 is to prevent or strictly limit ocean dumping of any material which would adversely affect human health, welfare, or amenities, or the marine environment, ecological systems, or the economic potential of ocean resources. Ocean dumping of sewage sludge has adversely affected the marine environment, closed extensive areas to shellfishing, and contributed to conditions such as those in 1976 which resulted in the massive fish kill off the coast of New Jersey and the closing of some beaches on Long Island. Ocean dumping also disregards the potential of recovering resources contained in sludge.