Results:
Tag: dredging
Clear
  • Next-Generation Water Quality Monitoring during Dredging Operations: Knowns, Unknowns, and Path Forward

    Abstract: Water quality monitoring data are routinely collected during dredging and placement operations to address various state and federal requirements, including water quality standards, with the intention of protecting ecosystem health. However, such efforts may be limited by the lack of a standardized national strategic focus and user-friendly streamlined interfaces to interpret the data. Inconsistencies in how and what data are collected and lack of consensus on scientifically backed biological-effects thresholds make it difficult to quantify potential dredging operations impacts (or lack thereof) both within individual projects over time and across multiple projects of differing characteristics. Summarized herein is an initial effort to define a scientifically backed path forward to improve the value of current and future water quality monitoring and management decisions based on water quality data collected. The provided turbidity data were generally below applicable state thresholds for two case studies but for a third case study did periodically exceed thresholds at depth. This includes providing rationale for strategic focus on the most relevant dredging operations and projects, based on three general site-specific data categorizations: (1) sediment type, (2) dredge type, and (3) ecosystem type.
  • Application of Existing Tools to Systematically Identify Nearshore Placement Sites for Beneficial Use of Navigation Sediments in Lake Michigan

    Purpose: The Great Lakes includes 140 federally maintained harbors with an annual dredging program of 2–4 million cubic meters (3–5 million cubic yards)[1] of sediment. Many small harbors are not dredged regularly, and there is an undredged backlog of over 9 million cubic meters (12 million cubic yards) of sediment (USACE-LRD 2021). Current policy (Spellmon 2023) is to maximize the beneficial use (BU) of sediment, with a goal of beneficially reusing 70% of the federal navigation dredging volume by 2030 (that is, the 70/30 goal). In the Great Lakes, clean sands have often been placed on beaches or in the nearshore littoral zone to beneficially nourish the shoreline, but since many harbors are not dredged regularly, no plans exist to beneficially reuse dredged sediments. This lack of existing BU plans is particularly true for harbors with finer grained or mixed sediment. To achieve the 70/30 BU goal and support navigation maintenance and coastal management requires a strategic and systematic approach to identifying BU sites. The purpose of the technical note is to (1) provide an approach to identify potential nearshore placement sites using existing information and models; (2) describe available tools for placement site identification, coastal condition information, and the long-term fate of the sediment; and (3) provide a pertinent case study to describe this approach in practice.
  • Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base Beneficial Use of Dredge Material Study

    Efforts are underway to understand the coastal marsh system surrounding the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base.
  • Army Corps begins Swinomish maintenance dredging Sept. 9

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' routine maintenance dredging in Swinomish Channel, a federal navigation channel located between the eastern shore of Fidalgo Island and the mainland at the western edge of Skagit County, Washington, is scheduled to begin Sept. 9, 2024.
  • USACE shares update on dredging schedule for Manasquan Inlet

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Philadelphia District shared an update regarding navigation at the Manasquan Inlet in New Jersey.
  • USACE shares update on Manasquan Inlet

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Philadelphia District shared an update regarding navigation at the Manasquan Inlet in Ocean County, N.J. USACE is aware of the shoaling within the Manasquan Inlet inside of the south jetty. Currently, USACE is working to obtain hydrographic surveys of the current inlet conditions. Once completed, this information will be posted online for mariners to access and shared with the U.S. Coast Guard. The USACE Dredge MURDEN is currently scheduled to conduct dredging operations within the inlet later this month and may conduct some operations early this week depending on weather and sea conditions.
  • From waste to resource

    A new project from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is helping meet ambitious goals for beneficially using the material it dredges by exploring how 3D printers can transform the dredged sediment into a building block for ecosystem restoration.
  • Jacksonville District issues scoping letter for Naples to Big Marco Pass dredging project

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District (USACE), is beginning preparation of a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document to address the maneuverability and safety concerns within the federal channel of Gordon and Big Marco passes in Naples, Florida. Collier County is the Non-Federal Sponsor (NFS) for this maintenance dredging project. USACE is currently gathering information to define issues and concerns that will be addressed in an analysis to be prepared in compliance with the NEPA.
  • LA District leaders tour central coast ports, projects

    Three U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District leaders toured several ports and civil works project sites June 3 – 6 along the central coast of California.
  • Army Corps shares update on Salem River dredging

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District announced an update on a dredging and marsh restoration project at the mouth of the Salem River in New Jersey. Dredging operations will begin in early July as part of contract that was awarded to Cottrell Contracting Corporation in December 2023.