Ocean Disposal Sites
Data Set (DS) | Office for Coastal Management (OCM)GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:54193 | Updated: December 10, 2025 | Published / External
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Summary
Short Citation
Office for Coastal Management, 2026: Ocean Disposal Sites, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/54193.
Full Citation Examples
These data show the location of available and discontinued ocean disposal sites within U.S. waters. Contemporary ocean disposal sites generally accept clean dredged material (sediment) collected during navigation channel improvement projects. These projects are sponsored and-or regulated by federal and state agencies. The terminology and practices used in ocean disposal have changed considerably over time. The values in the Primary Use field in this database show some of that variability.
To support ocean planning activities pursuant to the Executive Order Regarding the Ocean Policy to Advance the Economic, Security, and Environmental Interests of the United States, the Energy Policy Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Rivers and Harbors Act, and the Coastal Zone Management Act.
Data Access & Downloads
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Marine Cadastre Data Registry
For coastal and ocean planning
Child Items
| Type | Title |
|---|---|
| Entity | Ocean Disposal Sites |
Contact Information
Point of Contact
NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM)
coastal.info@noaa.gov
(843) 740-1202
https://coast.noaa.gov
Extents
-177.394197° W,
174.158795° E,
64.500203° N,
-14.425° S
2018-07-03
ground condition
Item Identification
| Title: | Ocean Disposal Sites |
|---|---|
| Status: | Completed |
| Publication Date: | 2025-12-10 |
| Abstract: |
These data show the location of available and discontinued ocean disposal sites within U.S. waters. Contemporary ocean disposal sites generally accept clean dredged material (sediment) collected during navigation channel improvement projects. These projects are sponsored and-or regulated by federal and state agencies. The terminology and practices used in ocean disposal have changed considerably over time. The values in the Primary Use field in this database show some of that variability. |
| Purpose: |
To support ocean planning activities pursuant to the Executive Order Regarding the Ocean Policy to Advance the Economic, Security, and Environmental Interests of the United States, the Energy Policy Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Rivers and Harbors Act, and the Coastal Zone Management Act. |
| Supplemental Information: |
Bureau Code: 006:48, Program Code: 006:055 |
Keywords
Theme Keywords
| Thesaurus | Keyword |
|---|---|
| UNCONTROLLED | |
| None | coastal |
| None | ocean |
| None | planning |
| None | renewable energy |
Spatial Keywords
| Thesaurus | Keyword |
|---|---|
| Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords |
CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
|
| UNCONTROLLED | |
| None | Exclusive Economic Zone |
| None | Outer Continental Shelf |
| None | Territorial Sea |
Physical Location
| Organization: | Office for Coastal Management |
|---|---|
| City: | Charleston |
| State/Province: | SC |
Data Set Information
| Data Set Scope Code: | Data Set |
|---|---|
| Maintenance Frequency: | None Planned |
| Data Presentation Form: | Map (digital) |
| Entity Attribute Overview: |
designation, sourceId, description, measurement, primaryUse, periodUse, restrictions, status, state, siteLabel, depth |
| Distribution Liability: |
https://www.marinecadastre.gov/about/disclaimer.html |
| Data Set Credit: | NOAA Office for Coastal Management |
Support Roles
Point of Contact
| Date Effective From: | 2018-06 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Organization): | NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM) |
| Address: |
2234 South Hobson Ave Charleston, SC 29405-2413 |
| Email Address: | coastal.info@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | (843) 740-1202 |
| URL: | https://coast.noaa.gov |
Extents
| Currentness Reference: | Publication Date |
|---|
Extent Group 1
Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1
| W° Bound: | -177.394197 | |
|---|---|---|
| E° Bound: | 174.158795 | |
| N° Bound: | 64.500203 | |
| S° Bound: | -14.425 |
Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1
| Time Frame Type: | Discrete |
|---|---|
| Start: | 2018-07-03 |
| Description: |
ground condition |
Spatial Information
Spatial Representation
Vector Representation 1
| Topology Level: | Geometry Only |
|---|---|
| Complex Object Present?: | No |
| Composite Object Present?: | No |
| Curve Object Present?: | No |
| Point Object Present?: | No |
| Solid Object Present?: | No |
| Surface Object Present?: | Yes |
Reference Systems
Reference System 1
Coordinate Reference System |
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Access Information
| Security Class: | Unclassified |
|---|---|
| Data Use Constraints: |
For coastal and ocean planning |
Distribution Information
Distribution 1
| Download URL: | https://marinecadastre.gov/data |
|---|---|
| Distributor: | |
| Description: |
Marine Cadastre Data Registry |
Distribution 2
| Download URL: | https://marinecadastre.gov/downloads/data/mc/OceanDisposalSite.zip |
|---|---|
| Distributor: |
Technical Environment
| Description: |
Microsoft Windows, ArcGIS Pro, Azure SQL |
|---|
Data Quality
| Accuracy: |
Untested |
|---|---|
| Horizontal Positional Accuracy: |
Compiled to meet 10 meters horizontal accuracy at 95% confidence level |
| Completeness Report: |
Untested |
| Conceptual Consistency: |
These data are logically consistent |
Lineage
Sources
Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, Chapter I, Subpart H, Part 228, Section 228.15
| Contact Role Type: | Originator |
|---|---|
| Contact Type: | Organization |
| Contact Name: | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
| Extent Type: | Discrete |
| Extent Start Date/Time: | 2023-01-30 |
| Citation URL: | https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-H/part-228/section-228.15 |
Data from Studies of Previous Radioactive Waste Disposal in Massachusetts Bay
| Contact Role Type: | Originator |
|---|---|
| Contact Type: | Organization |
| Contact Name: | U.S. EPA |
| Extent Type: | Discrete |
| Extent Start Date/Time: | 1984-12-01 |
| Source Contribution: |
By William R. Curtis Office of Radiation Programs Location and size of disposal sites permitted by the Atomic Energy Commission |
NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts
| Contact Role Type: | Originator |
|---|---|
| Contact Type: | Organization |
| Contact Name: | NOAA Office of Coast Survey |
| Citation URL: | https://encdirect.noaa.gov/ |
| Source Contribution: |
Approach_Dumping_Ground_(Point/Area) Coastal_Dumping_Ground_(Point/Area) General_Dumping_Ground_(Point/Area) Harbour_Dumping_Ground_(Point/Area) Overview_Dumping_Ground_(Point/Area) |
NOAA Hydrographic Surveys
| Contact Role Type: | Originator |
|---|---|
| Contact Type: | Organization |
| Contact Name: | Office of Coast Survey |
| Publish Date: | 2025-12-10 |
| Citation URL: | https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nos/H12001-H14000/ |
| Source Contribution: |
https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nos/H12001-H14000/H13990.html https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nos/H12001-H14000/H13991.html https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nos/H12001-H14000/H13992.html https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nos/H12001-H14000/H13993.html https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nos/H12001-H14000/H13994.html https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nos/H12001-H14000/H13995.html https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nos/H12001-H14000/H13996.html https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nos/H12001-H14000/H13997.html |
NOAA Raster Nautical Chart
| Contact Role Type: | Originator |
|---|---|
| Contact Type: | Organization |
| Contact Name: | NOAA Office of Coast Survey |
| Extent Type: | Discrete |
| Extent Start Date/Time: | 2022 |
| Citation URL: | https://seamlessrnc.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/arcgis/services/RNC/NOAA_RNC/ImageServer |
Placement Areas
| Contact Role Type: | Originator |
|---|---|
| Contact Type: | Organization |
| Contact Name: | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
| Extent Type: | Discrete |
| Extent Start Date/Time: | 2022-03-04 |
| Citation URL: | https://geospatial-usace.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/aed16678ea814ddc8fdb5d96f723d90b |
Site Management and Monitoring Plan for the Massachusetts Bay Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site, MA
| Contact Role Type: | Originator |
|---|---|
| Contact Type: | Organization |
| Contact Name: | U.S. EPA |
| Publish Date: | 2009-11-02 |
| Citation URL: | https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-10/documents/r1_mass_bay_smmp_final_11-09.pdf |
Supporting Analysis for the Informal Section 7 Consultation for the Use of Nearshore or Open-Water Disposal Sites off of the Coasts of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island
| Contact Role Type: | Originator |
|---|---|
| Contact Type: | Organization |
| Contact Name: | NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service |
| Publish Date: | 2020-03-04 |
| Citation URL: | https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/s3/2021-04/Incoming-Sec-7-consultation-for-openwater-and-nearshore-disposal-sites-final-3-4-20-508-.pdf |
Process Steps
Process Step 1
| Description: |
1) Generate a polygon feature class from the eCFR coordinates for all sites, and include field attributes from the eCFR records. 2) Filter the Placement Areas polygons to remove features tagged as upland, proposed, beach, habitat restoration; to features that overlapped eCFR sources, duplicates, and for features that were geographically contained entirely within a larger and more recently dated feature. 3) Filter the Placement Areas polygons to remove features identified as munitions or unexploded ordnance in the raster nautical chart data. 4) Merge coincident features in the derived Placement Area data if the "Primary Use" field values were comparable. 5) Reconfigure the field names of the filtered Placement Areas data set to match the final relational data structure compatible to the eCFR sources. 6) Using the ENC and RNC sources, collect features not found in the eCFR and Placement Areas data source. 7) Merge the eCFR, Placement Areas, and ENC/RNC derived data into a single feature class. |
|---|---|
| Process Date/Time: | 2022-03-04 00:00:00 |
Process Step 2
| Description: |
1) Updated to resolve omissions in the Hawaii area. 2) Updated the geometry values in approximately 7 percent of the features, including those outside of CONUS, offshore of San Francisco CA, Boston MA, and Gulfport MS. |
|---|---|
| Process Date/Time: | 2023-01-30 00:00:00 |
Process Step 3
| Description: |
Updated to resolve omissions and errors in the Massachusetts Bay Area. The addition of new sites where uncontrolled dumping occurred was based on visual interpretation of newly released NOAA hydrographic surveys. |
|---|---|
| Process Date/Time: | 2025-12-10 00:00:00 |
Child Items
Rubric scores updated every 15m
|
Type | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Entity | Ocean Disposal Sites |
Catalog Details
| Catalog Item ID: | 54193 |
|---|---|
| GUID: | gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:54193 |
| Metadata Record Created By: | Anna Verrill |
| Metadata Record Created: | 2018-10-16 17:59+0000 |
| Metadata Record Last Modified By: | Daniel Martin |
| Metadata Record Last Modified: | 2025-12-10 23:16+0000 |
| Metadata Record Published: | 2018-10-22 |
| Owner Org: | OCM |
| Metadata Publication Status: | Published Externally |
| Do Not Publish?: | N |
| Metadata Last Review Date: | 2018-10-22 |
| Metadata Review Frequency: | 1 Year |
| Metadata Next Review Date: | 2019-10-22 |