This guidance manual, which comprises a three-volume series and was developed for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, British Columbia Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, and Florida Department of Environmental Protection, is not intended to supplant the existing guidance on sediment quality assessment. Rather, this guidance manual is intended to further support the design and implementation of assessments of sediment quality conditions by:

• Presenting an ecosystem-based framework for assessing and managing contaminated sediments (Volume I);
• Describing the recommended procedures for designing and implementing sediment quality investigations (Volume II); and,
• Describing the recommended procedures for interpreting the results of sediment quality investigations (Volume III).

The first volume of the guidance manual, An Ecosystem-Based Framework for Assessing and Managing Contaminated Sediments in the Freshwater Ecosystems, describes the five step process that is recommended to support the assessment and management of sediment quality conditions (i.e., relative to sediment-dwelling organisms, aquatic-dependent wildlife, and human health). Importantly, the document provides an overview of the framework for ecosystem-based sediment quality assessment and management (Chapter 2). In addition, the recommended procedures for identifying sediment quality issues and concerns and compiling the existing knowledge base are described (Chapter 3). Furthermore, the recommended procedures for establishing ecosystem goals, ecosystem health objectives, and sediment management objectives are presented (Chapter 4). Finally, methods for selecting ecosystem health indicators, metrics, and targets for assessing contaminated sediments are described (Chapter 5). Together, this guidance is intended to support planning activities related to contaminated sediment assessments, such that the resultant data are likely to support sediment management decisions at the site under investigation. More detailed information on these and other topics related to the assessment and management of contaminated sediments can be found in the publications that are listed in the Bibliography of Relevant Publications (Appendix 2).

The second volume of the series, Design and Implementation of Sediment Quality Investigations, describes the recommended procedures for designing and implementing sediment quality assessment programs. More specifically, Volume II provides an overview of the recommended framework for assessing and managing sediment quality conditions is presented in this document (Chapter 2). In addition, Volume II describes the recommended procedures for conducting preliminary and detailed site investigations to assess sediment quality conditions (Chapters 3 and 4). Furthermore, the factors that need to be considered in the development of sampling and analysis plans for assessing contaminated sediments are described (Chapter 5). Supplemental guidance on the design of sediment sampling programs, on the evaluation of sediment quality data, and on the management of contaminated sediment is provided in the Appendices to Volume II. The appendices of this document also describe the types and objectives of sediment quality assessments that are commonly conducted in freshwater ecosystems.

The third volume in the series, Interpretation of the Results of Sediment Quality Investigations, describes the four types of information that are commonly used to assess contaminated sediments, including sediment- and pore-water chemistry data (Chapter 2), sediment toxicity data (Chapter 3), benthic invertebrate community structure data (Chapter 4), and bioaccumulation data (Chapter 5). Some of the other tools that can be used to support assessments of sediment quality conditions are also briefly described (e.g., fish health assessments; Chapter 6). The information compiled on each of the tools includes: descriptions of its applications, advantages, and limitations; discussions on the availability of standard methods, the evaluation of data quality, methodological uncertainty, and the interpretation of associated data; and, recommendations to guide the use of each of these individual indicators of sediment quality conditions. Furthermore, guidance is provided on the 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 support the design and implementation of focused sediment quality assessment programs.