Department of Defense and Army Corps (USACE) Announce Pilot Dredging projects.

Above is suction dredge unloading to barge

The Department of Defense along with the Army Corp of Engineers announced the Selection of the 10 Pilot Projects Pursuant to Section 1122 of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016 for Beneficial Use of Dredged Material.

The USACE received 95 proposals for beneficial use of dredged material. Based on criteria set in Section 1122 10 projects were selected as having high likelihood of delivering environmental, economic and social benefits described in the proposals, and exhibit geographic diversity.

An Environmental Assessment and findings of no significant Impact was prepared and available to the public by email at Section-1122-Beneficial-Use-Of-Dredged-Material@usace.army.mil.

10 project goals for the beneficial reuse are;

Reduce storm damage to property and infrastructure; promoting public safety; protecting, restoring and creating aquatic ecosystems habitats; stabilizing stream systems and enhancing shorelines; promoting recreation; supporting risk management adaptation strategies; reducing the cost of dredging and dredge material placement or disposal, such as projects that use dredged materials for-Construction or fill material-civic improvement objectives-other innovative uses and placements alternatives that produce public economic or environmental benefits. 

The ten recommended pilot projects are:

California: Restoring San Francisco’s bays natural Infrastructure with Dredged Sediment-Strategic Placement.

Hawaii: Haleiwa Small Boat Harbor Maintenance Dredging and Beach Restoration.

Illinois: Public Beach Protection pilot in 4 Illinois Coastal communities.

Mississippi: Deer Island Lagoon Project.

New Jersey: Beneficial Use Placement Opportunities in the state of New Jersey Using Navigation Channel Sediments-Barnegat Inlet.

Puerto Rico: Condado Lagoon.

South Carolina: Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary.

Texas: Hickory Cove Marsh Restoration and Living Shoreline.

Washington: Grays Harbor South Jetty Sand Placement Pilot Project.

Wisconsin: Mississippi River Upper Pool 4, Pierce County Islands and Head of Lake Pepin Backwater Complex-beneficial use of dredged material.

Let us hope that all these projects show just how important sediment reuse is and use the findings for future targets here in Humboldt.