diff --git a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/genotyper/UnifiedArgumentCollection.java b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/genotyper/UnifiedArgumentCollection.java
index 92da06cd9..827288b06 100755
--- a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/genotyper/UnifiedArgumentCollection.java
+++ b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/genotyper/UnifiedArgumentCollection.java
@@ -65,6 +65,11 @@ public class UnifiedArgumentCollection {
     @Argument(fullName = "assume_single_sample_reads", shortName = "single_sample", doc = "The single sample that we should assume is represented in the input bam (and therefore associate with all reads regardless of whether they have read groups)", required = false)
     public String ASSUME_SINGLE_SAMPLE = null;
 
+    // TODO -- delete me
+    @Hidden
+    @Argument(fullName = "abort_at_too_much_coverage", doc = "Don't call a site if the downsampled coverage is greater than this value", required = false)
+    public int COVERAGE_AT_WHICH_TO_ABORT = -1;
+
 
     // control the various parameters to be used
     @Argument(fullName = "min_base_quality_score", shortName = "mbq", doc = "Minimum base quality required to consider a base for calling", required = false)
@@ -135,6 +140,8 @@ public class UnifiedArgumentCollection {
         uac.ALPHA_DELETION_PROBABILITY = ALPHA_DELETION_PROBABILITY;
         uac.EXACT_CALCULATION_TYPE = EXACT_CALCULATION_TYPE;
 
+        uac.COVERAGE_AT_WHICH_TO_ABORT = COVERAGE_AT_WHICH_TO_ABORT;
+
         return uac;
     }
 
diff --git a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/genotyper/UnifiedGenotyperEngine.java b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/genotyper/UnifiedGenotyperEngine.java
index 37c09dac7..16e5a5702 100755
--- a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/genotyper/UnifiedGenotyperEngine.java
+++ b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/genotyper/UnifiedGenotyperEngine.java
@@ -157,6 +157,9 @@ public class UnifiedGenotyperEngine {
      * @return the VariantCallContext object
      */
     public VariantCallContext calculateLikelihoodsAndGenotypes(RefMetaDataTracker tracker, ReferenceContext refContext, AlignmentContext rawContext) {
+        if ( UAC.COVERAGE_AT_WHICH_TO_ABORT > 0 && rawContext.size() > UAC.COVERAGE_AT_WHICH_TO_ABORT )
+            return null;
+
         Map<String, StratifiedAlignmentContext> stratifiedContexts = getFilteredAndStratifiedContexts(UAC, refContext, rawContext);
         if ( stratifiedContexts == null )
             return (UAC.OutputMode != OUTPUT_MODE.EMIT_ALL_SITES ? null : new VariantCallContext(generateEmptyContext(tracker, refContext, stratifiedContexts, rawContext), refContext.getBase(), false));