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EPA RESEARCH VESSEL TO USE SONAR TO MAP PORTIONS OF FLOOR OF LONG ISLAND SOUND

Release Date: 08/17/1999
Contact Information: Amy Miller, EPA Press Office (617-918-1042)

BOSTON - The Environmental Protection Agency's research vessel, the Peter W. Anderson, is scheduled to be in Long Island Sound for five days beginning today to map the ocean floor at four existing dredged material disposal sites.

The work being done, using side scan sonar, will take place at disposal sites called Cornfield Shoals, New London, Central Long Island Sound and Western Long Island Sound.

This survey will run 24 hours a day and involve EPA employees from New England and New York working with the vessel's crew to collect the data.

Side scan sonar is a survey technique that uses sound signals to create highly accurate and defined images of the sea floor. The sonar is encased in a "fish"; a missile shaped housing that is towed behind the ship at slow speeds. The fish collects a swath of data which is received by an on-board computer and translated into a spatial picture of the sea floor. The data captures the presence and orientation of sea floor features such as sand waves, ridges, and rock outcrops.

This information helps EPA and the Army Corps assess how sediments are naturally transported in these specific areas. Also, the data will be used to study the potential habitat value of these sites for finfish, shellfish, and other marine organisms.

The survey is expected to start with the New London site and move west to Cornfield Shoals, Central Long Island Sound and then Western Long Island Sound. Other data may be collected by the Peter W. Anderson, including temperature, salinity, and depth.

The use of the Peter W. Anderson for the survey work involves a cooperative effort between EPA Region II covering New York and New Jersey and EPA-New England. The information collected will supplement work the United States Geological Survey (USGS) did in 1995, and work the U.S Army Corps of Engineers has done since 1990. The new data will be used to support the data gathering effort for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for designating possible future disposal sites in Long Island Sound. Future disposal sites may be designated at the existing sites or in alternative locations. The EIS is being developed cooperatively by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and EPA.