A thousandfold increase in PCB levels and millions of dollars lost, the real cost of artificial reefs

A report  by the Basel Action Network highlights the environmental risks and economic losses caused by artificial reefing. In one reef, the total PCB concentrations in fish samples increased 1,446% on average from pre-sinking to postsinking"

"Study of the sunken Ex-USS ORISKANY, reveals startling toxic PCB
leaching from the sunken aircraft carrier. According to the data, the leaching is occurring
at more than twice the Navy’s and EPA’s presinking modeled expectations of 2006. In fact, leaching PCBs from the sunken vessel has been taken up by fish at the reef site at levels above the Florida Department of Health fish consumption advisory threshold. Total PCB concentrations in fish samples increased 1,446% on average from pre-sinking to postsinking"
http://ban.org/library/Dishonorable%20Disposal_BAN%20Report.pdf

MARAD change in policy scuttles sinking of USS Kawishiwi

A planned artificial reef of the USS Kawishiwi has been cancelled following the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) 's decision not to sink ships made prior to 1985 due to concerns about PCB's.

'"The vessel, which is docked in Suisun Bay, was withdrawn from the list of ships after MARAD announced that it had revised its policies and the Kawishiwi will now be part of the ship recycling programme. The agency is now excluding all ships that are likely to contain Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)."

MARAD has offered a replacement ship which meets the new standards.

The CEO of California Ships to Reefs, Joel Geldin said: “We have always made ocean safety the top priority in our reefing plans and we’re willing to move forward with MARAD, working with whatever standards they require.”

read more here:
 MARAD Withdraws Plans to Turn USS Kawishiwi into Artificial Reef in California - The Scuba Diving Place:

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U.S. Government Ends The Sinking Of Old Ships as Artificial Reefs

Recognizing the potential environmental impact and loss of economic revenue, the Obama administration has made significant chances to the federal  artificial reefing program 

"The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) has adopted a new policy that effectively terminates the federal artificial reefing program that allowed the scuttling of old ships for so-called "artificial reefs" – a practice that dates back to the Liberty Ship Act of 1972. Since the program's inception, approximately 45 ships have been disposed of at sea, along with untold tons of toxic substances such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals built into each vessel, as well as many millions of dollars-worth of steel and non-ferrous metal resources. "

Read more here


U.S. Government Ends The Sinking Of Old Ships as Artificial Reefs:

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Artificial reef projects raise environmental questions - The Washington Post

A recent article in the Washington Post looks at the potential environmental concerns surrounding the sinking of decommissioned ships for artificial reefs. Among the issues which scientists are studying is the impact of overfishing as anglers gather at artificial reef sites and the accumulation of toxic chemicals, including PCB's, in the bodies of fish who feed off the reef.

Artificial reef projects raise environmental questions - The Washington Post

Environmental group concerned about PCB contaminated wiring in sunken ship

Environmental group is concerned that warships are being sunk with PCB contaminated wiring still intact.

"You have to be very cautious because you never know what you might discover in five or 10 years time that you hadn't taken into account. Once you [sink] a ship, it's never coming back up again,"

Read the entire article here:
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=5ef3226a-d6ca-43c4-abeb-275a4b2c20f8