Assessment of Certain European Dredging Practices and Dredged Material Containment and Reclamation Methods

摘要

A study was made of dredging practices, reclamation methods, and environmental effects of dredging in western Europe by visiting more than twenty ports in six countries and discussing pertinent matters with knowledgeable authorities at each port. A remarkable similarity of dredging practices, reclamation methods, and dredging equipment was noted among the European ports. The productive land use of dredged material was common goal. Contamination problems existed or were potential, to various degrees, at all ports, but few ports were able to assess in specific quantitative terms the status of the local contamination, much less to offer well-developed techniques for the solution of their problems. All were aware of the need for continued research into dredging practices and reclamation methods and of the need to intensify research in the area of environmental effects, particularly contamination. The need for regional and world-wide legislation to control contamination and other adverse environmental effects also was universally recognized. Technical details of describing, increasing the density of, disposing, and making productive use of dredged material were discussed, often by using the widely accepted techniques employed in the Rotterdam Harbor as examples. Conventional and special dredging equipment is described and contamination of dredged material and environmental effects is discussed in detail in this report. (Author)