The Legislature finds that contaminated sludges are often ocean dumped; that land-based disposal methods for sludge are environmentally preferable to the current practice of ocean dumping; that land-based disposal of sludge requires the removal of contaminants from the waste stream; that by requiring land-based sludge management criteria for sludges which are currently ocean dumped, the sewage treatment plants will have the option to cease ocean dumping in favor of a land-based disposal method; and that even if ocean dumping of sludge continues, it is prudent to minimize the presence of contaminants in the sludge.

The Legislature further finds that the State should work toward developing alternatives to ocean disposal of sludge in the event that the practice is prohibited, and that the land-based sludge management criteria already established for sludge should be used to develop the standards for limiting the levels of contaminants discharged by industrial establishments into the sewerage systems, which limits should be incorporated in the discharge permits issued to facilities.

The Legislature therefore determines that all sludge generated in the State from the operation of municipal treatment works should meet the quality standards established by the Department of Environmental Protection for the land-based sludge management of sludge and that the attainment of these standards should be reflected in the permits issued for pretreatment discharges.

P.L. 1988, c. 56, s. 1.