EPA-905-B02-001-C Agency Chicago, Illinois 60604 EPA A Guidance Manual .

TABLE OF CONTENTS - ivAppendix 1.A1.0A1.1A1.2A1.3A1.4A1.5Recommended Uses of Sediment Quality Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . 172Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172Monitoring Program Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172Interpretation of Sediment Chemistry Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173Support for Analysis of Dredged Material Disposal Options . . . . . . . . 177Ecological Risk Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178Development of Sediment Quality Remediation Objectives . . . . . . . . . 180Appendix 2. Methods for Determining Background Levels of SedimentAssociated Contaminants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182A2.0 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182A2.1 Reference Sediment Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183A2.2 Reference Element Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184Appendix 3. Approaches to the Development of Numerical Sediment QualityGuidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186A3.0 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186A3.1 Screening Level Concentration Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187A3.2 Effects Range Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188A3.3 Effects Level Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189A3.4 Apparent Effects Threshold Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190A3.5 Equilibrium Partitioning Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191A3.6 Logistic Regression Modeling Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192A3.7 Consensus Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194A3.8 Tissue Residue Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195Appendix 4. Criteria for Evaluating Candidate Data Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198A4.0 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198A4.1 Criteria for Evaluating Whole Sediment, Pore Water, and TissueChemistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199A4.2 Criteria for Evaluating Biological Effects Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200GUIDANCE MANUAL TO SUPPORT THE ASSESSMENT OF CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS IN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS - VOLUME III

TABLE OF CONTENTS - vList of TablesTable 1Sediment quality guidelines that reflect threshold effectconcentrations (TECs; i.e., below which harmful effects are unlikelyto be observed; from MacDonald et al. 2000b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122Table 2Sediment quality guidelines that reflect probable effect concentrations(PECs; i.e., above which harmful effects are likely to be observed;from MacDonald et al. 2000b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Table 3Advantages and disadvantages of whole-sediment and pore-waterchemistry (Ingersoll et al. 1997) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Table 4Uncertainty associated with sediment chemistry measurements(Ingersoll et al. 1997) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Table 5Uncertainty associated with sediment quality guidelines (Ingersoll etal. 1997) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128Table 6Summary of potential targets for pore-water chemistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129Table 7Rating of selection criteria for freshwater sediment toxicity testingorganisms (ASTM 2001a; USEPA 2000a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132Table 8Summary of standard methods for conducting whole-sedimenttoxicity or sediment bioaccumulation tests with freshwaterinvertebrates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133Table 9Advantages and disadvantages of laboratory sediment toxicity tests(ASTM 2001a; USEPA 2000a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134Table 10Test conditions for conducting a 28- to 42-day sediment toxicity testwith Hyalella azteca (ASTM 2001a; USEPA 2000a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135Table 11Test acceptability requirements for a 42-day sediment toxicity testwith Hyalella azteca (ASTM 2001a; USEPA 2000a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137Table 12Uncertainty associated with sediment phases used in laboratorytoxicity tests (Ingersoll et al. 1997) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139Table 13Uncertainty associated with endpoints measured in laboratory toxicitytests with sediment (Ingersoll et al. 1997) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140Table 14Uncertainty associated with benthic community assessments(Ingersoll et al. 1997) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Table 15Advantages and disadvantages of benthic invertebrate communitystructure data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142Table 16Selection criteria for sediment bioaccumulation test organisms(ASTM 2001d; USEPA 2000a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143GUIDANCE MANUAL TO SUPPORT THE ASSESSMENT OF CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS IN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS - VOLUME III

TABLE OF CONTENTS - viTable 17Advantages and disadvantages of tissue chemistry data . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Table 18Recommended test conditions for conducting a 28-day sedimentbioaccumulation test with Lumbriculus variegatus (ASTM 2001d;USEPA 2000a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Table 19Test acceptability requirements for a 28-day sedimentbioaccumulation test with the oligochaete, Lumbriculus variegatus(ASTM 2001d; USEPA 2000a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147Table 20Uncertainty associated with bioaccumulation assessments (Ingersollet al. 1997) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Table 21Methods for evaluating the effects of exposure to COPCs in fish(from Schmitt et al. 2000) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150Table 22Methodological uncertainty associated with fish health and fishcommunity assessments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152Table 23Contingency table for assessing impacts of contaminated sedimentson aquatic life based on three separate indicators of sediment quality(sediment quality triad adapted from Chapman 1992 and Canfield etal. 1996) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153Table 24Contingency table for assessing impacts of contaminated sedimentson aquatic life based on four separate indicators of sedimentquality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154Table 25Contingency table for assessing impacts of contaminated sedimentson aquatic life based on two separate indicators of sediment quality . . 158Table 26Contingency table for assessing impacts of contaminated sedimentson wildlife based on three separate indicators of sediment quality . . . . 159Table 27Contingency table for assessing impacts of contaminated sedimentson human health based on two separate indicators of sedimentquality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160Table A1.1Incidence of toxicity predicted in laboratory toxicity tests using meanprobably effect concentration-quotients (PEC-Qs; USEPA 2000b) . . . 203GUIDANCE MANUAL TO SUPPORT THE ASSESSMENT OF CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS IN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS - VOLUME III

TABLE OF CONTENTS - viiList of FiguresFigure 1Recommended procedure for assessing sediment chemistry data . . . . . 162Figure 2Relationship between mean PEC quotients and the incidence oftoxicity in freshwater toxicity tests (USEPA 2000b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163Figure 3Recommended procedure for assessing sediment toxicity data . . . . . . . 164Figure 4Recommended procedure for assessing benthic invertebrate or fishcommunity structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165Figure 5Recommended procedure for assessing tissue chemistry data . . . . . . . . 166Figure 6Recommended procedure for evaluating fish health data . . . . . . . . . . . 167Figure 7The relationship between the mean PEC quotient and the response ofHyalella azteca in the 10-day tests (as percent survival) or theresponse in the Microtox solid-phase sediment toxicity test (as theEC50 expressed as a toxicity reference index). Sediment sampleswere collected from the Grand Calumet River and Indiana HarborCanal located in northwestern Indiana (Ingersoll et al. 2002) . . . . . . . . 168Figure 8The relationship between the molar concentration of simultaneouslyextracted metals to acid volatile sulfide (SEM-AVS) and toxic unitsof metals in the sediment samples. Toxicity of samples wasdetermined using 10-day whole-sediment tests with Hyalella azteca(Ingersoll et al. 2002) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169Figure 9Tri-axial graphs of sediment quality triad data (Canfield et al.1994) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170Figure A2.1. Metal/aluminum regression lines with the 95% prediction limits(from Carvalho and Schropp 2001) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205GUIDANCE MANUAL TO SUPPORT THE ASSESSMENT OF CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS IN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS - VOLUME III

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - viiiExecutive SummaryTraditionally, concerns relative to the management of aquatic resources in freshwaterecosystems have focused primarily on water quality. As such, early aquatic resourcemanagement efforts were often directed at assuring the potability of surface water orgroundwater sources. Subsequently, the scope of these management initiatives expanded toinclude protection of instream (i.e., fish and aquatic life), agricultural, industrial, andrecreational water uses. While initiatives undertaken in the past twenty years haveunquestionably improved water quality conditions, a growing body of evidence indicates thatmanagement efforts directed solely at the attainment of surface water quality criteria may notprovide an adequate basis for protecting the designated uses of aquatic ecosystems.In recent years, concerns relative to the health and vitality of aquatic ecosystems have begunto reemerge in North America. One of the principal reasons for this is that many toxic andbioaccumulative chemicals [such as metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs),polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorophenols, organochlorine pesticides (OC pesticides),and polybrominated diphenyl ethers]; which are found in only trace amounts in water, canaccumulate to elevated levels in sediments. Some of these pollutants, such as OC pesticidesand PCBs, were released into the environment long ago. The use of many of thesesubstances has been banned in North America for more than 30 years; nevertheless, thesechemicals continue to persist in the environment. Other contaminants enter our waters everyday from industrial and municipal discharges, urban and agricultural runoff, and atmosphericdeposition from remote sources. Due to their physical and chemical properties, many ofthese substances tend to accumulate in sediments. In addition to providing sinks for manychemicals, sediments can also serve as potential sources of pollutants to the water columnwhen conditions change in the receiving water system (e.g., during periods of anoxia, aftersevere storms).Information from a variety of sources indicates that sediments in aquatic ecosystemsthroughout North America are contaminated by a wide range of toxic and bioaccumulativesubstances, including metals, PAHs, PCBs, OC pesticides, a variety of semi-volatile organicchemicals (SVOCs), and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDDs andPCDFs). For example, contaminated sediments pose a major risk to the beneficial uses ofaquatic ecosystems throughout the Great Lakes basin, including the 43 areas of concern(AOCs) identified by the International Joint Commission. The imposition of fishconsumption advisories has adversely affected commercial, sport, and food fisheries in manyareas. In addition, degradation of the benthic community and other factors have adverselyGUIDANCE MANUAL TO SUPPORT THE ASSESSMENT OF CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS IN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS - VOLUME III

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - ixaffected fish and wildlife populations. Furthermore, fish in many of these areas often havehigher levels of tumors and other abnormalities than fish from reference areas.Contaminated sediments have also threatened the viability of many commercial ports throughthe imposition of restrictions on dredging of navigational channels and disposal of dredgedmaterials. Overall, contaminated sediments have been linked to 11 of the 14 beneficial useimpairments that have been documented at the Great Lakes AOCs. Such use impairmentshave also been observed elsewhere in Canada and the United States.In response to concerns raised regarding contaminated sediments, responsible authoritiesthroughout North America have launched programs to support the assessment, management,and remediation of contaminated sediments. The information generated under theseprograms provide important guidance for designing and implementing investigations at siteswith contaminated sediments. In addition, guidance has been developed under varioussediment-related programs to support the collection and interpretation of sediment qualitydata. While such guidance has unquestionably advanced the field of sediment qualityassessments, the users of the individual guidance documents have expressed a need toconsolidate this information into an integrated ecosystem-based framework for assessing andmanaging sediment quality in freshwater ecosystems (i.e., as specified under the Great LakesWater Quality Agreement). Practitioners in this field have also indicated the need foradditional guidance on the applications of the various tools that support sediment qualityassessments. Furthermore, the need for additional guidance on the design of sedimentquality monitoring programs and on the interpretation of the resultant data has beenidentified.This guidance manual, which comprises a three-volume series and was developed for theUnited States Environmental Protection Agency, British Columbia Ministry of Water, Landand Air Protection, and Florida Department of Environmental Protection, is not intended tosupplant the existing guidance on sediment quality assessment. Rather, this guidance manualis intended to further support the design and implementation of assessments of sedimentquality conditions by: Presenting an ecosystem-based framework for assessing and managingcontaminated sediments (Volume I); Describing the recommended procedures for designing and implementingsediment quality investigations (Volume II); and, Describing the recommended procedures for interpreting the results of sedimentquality investigations (Volume III).GUIDANCE MANUAL TO SUPPORT THE ASSESSMENT OF CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS IN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS - VOLUME III

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - xThe first volume of the guidance manual, An Ecosystem-Based Framework for Assessingand Managing Contaminated Sediments in the Freshwater Ecosystems, describes the fivestep process that is recommended to support the assessment and management of sedimentquality conditions (i.e., relative to sediment-dwelling organisms, aquatic-dependent wildlife,and human health). Importantly, the document provides an overview of the framework forecosystem-based sediment quality assessment and management (Chapter 2). In addition, therecommended procedures for identifying sediment quality issues and concerns and compilingthe existing knowledge base are described (Chapter 3). Furthermore, the recommendedprocedures for establishing ecosystem goals, ecosystem health objectives, and sedimentmanagement objectives are presented (Chapter 4). Finally, methods for selecting ecosystemhealth indicators, metrics, and targets for assessing contaminated sediments are described(Chapter 5). Together, this guidance is intended to support planning activities related tocontaminated sediment assessments, such that the resultant data are likely to supportsediment management decisions at the site under investigation. More detailed informationon these and other topics related to the assessment and management of contaminatedsediments can be found in the publications that are listed in the Bibliography of RelevantPublications (Appendix 2).The second volume of the series, Design and Implementation of Sediment QualityInvestigations, describes the recommended procedures for designing and implementingsediment quality assessment programs. More specifically, Volume II provides an overviewof the recommended framework for assessing and managing sediment quality conditions ispresented in this document (Chapter 2). In addition, Volume II describes the recommendedprocedures for conducting preliminary and detailed site investigations to assess sedimentquality conditions (Chapters 3 and 4). Furthermore, the factors that need to be consideredin the development of sampling and analysis plans for assessing contaminated sediments aredescribed (Chapter 5). Supplemental guidance on the design of sediment samplingprograms, on the evaluation of sediment quality data, and on the management ofcontaminated sediment is provided in the Appendices to Volume II. The appendices of thisdocument also describe the types and objectives of sediment quality assessments that arecommonly conducted in freshwater ecosystems.The third volume in the series, Interpretation of the Results of Sediment QualityInvestigations, describes the four types of information that are commonly used to assesscontaminated sediments, including sediment and pore-water chemistry data (Chapter 2),sediment toxicity data (Chapter 3), benthic invertebrate community structure data (Chapter4), and bioaccumulation data (Chapter 5). Some of the other tools that can be used tosupport assessments of sediment quality conditions are also briefly described (e.g., fishGUIDANCE MANUAL TO SUPPORT THE ASSESSMENT OF CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS IN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS - VOLUME III

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - xihealth assessments; Chapter 6). The information compiled on each of the tools includes:descriptions of its applications, advantages, and limitations; discussions on the availabilityof standard methods, the evaluation of data quality, methodological uncertainty, and theinterpretation of associated data; and, recommendations to guide the use of each of theseindividual indicators of sediment quality conditions. Furthermore, guidance is provided onthe interpretation of data on multiple indicators of sediment quality conditions (Chapter 7).Together, the information provided in the three-volume series is intended to further supportthe design and implementation of focused sediment quality assessment programs.GUIDANCE MANUAL TO SUPPORT THE ASSESSMENT OF CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS IN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS - VOLUME III

LIST OF ACRONYMS - xiiList of AARCS LTDLpercentmicrogrammicrograms per kilogrammicrograms per litermicromoles per gramapparent effects thresholdApparent Effects Threshold Approachaluminumanalysis of varianceArea of ConcernAmerican Public Health AssociationAssessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sediments ProgramAmerican Society for Testing and Materialsacid volatile sulfidesBritish Columbia EnvironmentBritish Columbia Waste Management Actbiomonitoring of environmental status and trendsbiota-sediment bioaccumulation factorConsensus ApproachCitizens Advisory CommitteeCanadian Council of Min

EPA-905-B02-001-C Environmental Protection December 2002 EPA A Guidance Manual to Support the Assessment of Contaminated Sediments in Freshwater Ecosystems Volume III - Interpretation of the Results of Sediment Quality Investigations by: Donald D. MacDonald MacDonald Environmental Sciences Ltd. #24 - 4800 Island Highway North