U.S. BEACH PLACEMENT OF DREDGED COASTAL NAVIGATION SEDIMENTS

摘要

Federal coastal navigation projects were inventoried to examine the extent to which Regional Sediment Management (RSM) goals have been implemented across the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) at the project level. This preliminary study examines USACE navigation projects that beneficially place sediments dredged from Operations & Maintenance (O&M) projects onto beaches. USACE Dredging Information System (DIS) data from 1998-2013 were combined with literature reviews and USACE District staff interviews within a GIS database. This initial study only analyzed beach placement of O&M sediments. Other beneficial uses such as nearshore placement or ecosystem enhancement will be quantified during later phases. Of the 220 USACE O&M projects from 20 coastal Districts analyzed, 65% of the projects placed some dredged sediments on beaches since 1998. About 12 million cubic yards or 11% of the total coastal navigation volume has been placed beneficially on beaches. Results indicate that the RSM concept has permeated USACE operations, but additional education, collaboration between Districts, and documentation of success is needed to ensure continued and increased RSM implementation.