Contact EPA Pacific Southwest Water Division
Pacific Southwest, Region 9
Serving: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, Tribal Nations
Dredging and Sediment Management
Dredging and Sediment Management Quick Finder | |
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Oceans, Coasts, and Estuaries HomeDredging and Sediment Home | Regional Teams and Partners Disposal Sites |
National Information
- Ocean Dumping and Dredged Material Management (National)
- Clean Water Act
- Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act
- National Dredging Policy
- Beneficial Uses of Dredged Material
- National Dredging Team

Dredged material being loaded onto a barge, and then towed to the disposal site.

Dredging is necessary to create and maintain navigation channels to our nation’s ports, harbors, marinas, and naval facilities. Several million cubic yards of sediment are dredged each year at such facilities throughout Region 9. Managing and regulating all this dredged sediment is a shared responsibility of EPA and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), under both the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA, or Ocean Dumping Act). Consistent with the National Dredging Policy, EPA encourages the “beneficial reuse” of dredged material.
Key activities in Region 9 include:
- Establishing and managing offshore ocean dredged material disposal sites under MPRSA.
- Jointly, with USACE, managing inshore dredged material disposal sites under the Clean Water Act.
- Directing sediment chemical and toxicity testing to ensure that only suitable (non toxic) dredged sediments are discharged at disposal sites
- Enforcing Ocean Dumping (40 CFR 220-229) and Clean Water Act (40CFR 230) regulations
- Co-chairing interagency Regional Dredging Teams, and working in other partnerships, to increase beneficial reuse, maintain environmental quality, and streamline the permitting process for dredging
Ocean Disposal Sites in Region 9
Maps, Site Management and Monitoring Plans (SMMPs), and other descriptive information.
Guam Deep Ocean Disposal Site (G-DODS)
Get information and supporting documents about the newest ocean disposal site in Region 9.
Regional Dredging Teams and Other Partnerships
Information and links to regional dredging teams and other partnership efforts.
Contact Information
(415) 972-3476
(415) 972-3475