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Category: Dredging
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  • Vessel Speed Analysis before and after Dredging near Missouri River Mile 282 in November 2020

    Abstract: The purpose of this Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) is to present information on vessel traffic before, during, and after a dredging event around river mile 282 of the Missouri River in November 2020 along with contextual information about tonnage and commodities that utilize this navigation project.
  • Atlantic Sturgeon Movements in Relation to a Cutterhead Dredge in the James River, Virginia

    Purpose: This technical note describes a field study investigating the movements of federally endangered Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus (ATS), during the summer and fall of 2017 near a cutterhead dredge working in the James River, Virginia, to provide data addressing the concern about the potential impacts of dredging activities (for example, excavation, transit, disposal, sounds, reduced water quality) on the ATS.
  • Field Measurement and Monitoring of Hydrodynamic and Suspended Sediment within the Seven Mile Island Innovation Laboratory, New Jersey

    Abstract: The Seven Mile Island Innovation Laboratory (SMIIL) was launched in 2019 to evaluate beneficial use of dredge material management practices in coastal New Jersey. As part of that effort, the Philadelphia District requested that the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, collect data to characterize the hydrodynamics and turbidity within the central portions of the SMIIL prior to and during dredge material placement. Pre-dredge monitoring found that apart from punctuated wind events, the study area waters were generally calm and clear with small waves, <0.25 m, slow current speeds (~0.1 m/s), low turbidity (~10 ntus), and low suspended sediment concentrations (~10–20 mg/L). In March 2020, 2,475 m3 of dredged sediment was placed on the northern portion of Sturgeon Island within the SMIIL. Turbidity in the waters surrounding the island was monitored to quantify extent of the sediment plume resulting from the placement. Observations found little to no turbidity plume associated with the dredging operations beyond 20 m from the island and that the plume was largely limited to areas near a tidal creek draining the placement area. Additionally, turbidity levels quickly returned to background conditions at times when the dredge was not in operation.
  • Elevation of underlying basement rock, Ogdensburg Harbor, NY

    Abstract: Over six linear miles of shallow acoustic reflection geophysical data were collected in an 800 ft by 300 ft survey region at Ogdensburg Harbor, Ogdensburg, NY. To better accommodate modern commercial vessels and expand the harbor’s capacity, the current navigable depth of -19 ft Low Water Depth (LWD) needs to be increased to -28 ft LWD, and an accurate map of the nature of the riverbed material (e.g., unconsolidated sediment, partially indurated glacial till, or bedrock) is required to effectively plan for removal. A total of 28 boreholes were previously collected to map the stratigraphy, and the effort revealed significant spatial variability in unit thickness and elevation between adjacent boreholes. To accurately map this variable stratigraphy, chirp sub-bottom profiles were collected throughout the region, with an average line spacing of 13 ft. These sub-bottom data, validated and augmented by the borehole data, resulted in high-resolution spatial maps of stratigraphic elevation and thickness for the study area. The data will allow for more accurate assessment of the type and extent of different dredging efforts required to achieve a future uniform depth of -28 ft LWD for the navigable region.
  • Field Survey to Prioritize Needs for Modernizing Dredged Material Evaluation Guidance

    Abstract: This technical note synthesizes and disseminates results of a 2020 survey of USACE dredging program and project managers to identify and prioritize needs related to the modernization and streamlining of the dredged material assessment decision guidance pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and Section 103 of the Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA). Priorities identified through the survey and subsequent follow-on interviews—together with advances in science and technology—will facilitate development of an electronic decision guidance tool to enable consistent, timely, and cost-effective dredged material management decisions. This tool will also facilitate a standardized database for ready access to historical data.
  • Investigation for Shoaling Reduction along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) at Caney Creek, Sargent, Texas

    Purpose: This US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Regional Sediment Management (RSM) initiative considered alternatives for shoaling reduction in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) in the vicinity of Caney Creek near Sargent, TX (Figure 1). Additionally, new beneficial use (BU) sites were considered along degraded islands adjacent to the GIWW with a threefold objective: increase the quality and quantity of habitat, reduce dredging cost via shorter pump distance, and reduce shoaling in the GIWW through East Matagorda Bay.
  • Environmental Applications of 3D Printing Polymer Composites for Dredging Operations

    Abstract: This Dredging Operations Environmental Research (DOER) technical note disseminates novel methods to monitor and reduce contaminant mobility and bioavailability in water, sediments, and soils. These method advancements are enabled by additive manufacturing (i.e., three-dimensional [3D] printing) to deploy and retrieve materials that adsorb contaminants that are traditionally applied as unbound powders. Examples of sorbents added as amendments for remediation of contaminated sediments include activated carbon, biochar, biopolymers, zeolite, and sand caps. Figure 1 provides examples of sorbent and photocatalytic particles successfully compounded and 3D printed using polylactic acid as a binder. Additional adsorptive materials may be applicable and photocatalytic materials (Friedmann et al. 2019) may be applied to degrade contaminants of concern into less hazardous forms. This technical note further describes opportunities for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) project managers and the water and sediment resource management community to apply 3D printing of polymers containing adsorptive filler materials as a prototyping tool and as an on-site, on-demand manufacturing capability to remediate and monitor contaminants in the environment. This research was funded by DOER project 19-13, titled “3D Printed Design for Remediation and Monitoring of Dredged Material.”
  • Incorporating Color Change Propensity into Dredged Material Management to Increase Beneficial Use Opportunities

    Dredged materials provide a number of beneficial use opportunities, including beach nourishment, habitat creation and restoration, and other activities. In situ sediment color is important for determining aesthetic and habitat suitability, for beach nourishment, and for other projects. However, dredged materials must meet locally established color compatibility requirements (for example, material cannot be too dark). Often, potential sediment sources are close to meeting specified color thresholds, and previous observations suggest that sediments lighten over time. In response to these observations, this study quantified sediment color change potential in a dredged m material management context. Results indicate that dredged material sediment color responded to changes in secondary color components, sediment mixing, and photolytic bleaching improving the sediment color for beneficial use application. Findings allowed for development of a conceptual color change capacity framework and supported development of tools for resource managers to incorporate color change dynamic into planning and operations activities. The following report provides a framework for determining the color change capacity of dredged materials using (1) a comprehensive laboratory approach and (2) a semiquantitative index based on source material and placement location conditions. These tools allow practitioners to incorporate dredged-material color change into resource management decisions, thus increasing beneficial use opportunities.
  • Development of a HEC-RAS Sediment Model for the Chippewa River, Wisconsin for Use in Predicting Future Dredging Activities

    Purpose: This U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Regional Sediment Management Technical Note (RSM-TN) describes the process of constructing and calibrating a sediment model that utilizes recent sediment data collection efforts performed by the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center – Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (ERDC-CHL) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) along the Chippewa River in Wisconsin. A USACE Institute for Water Resources (IWR), Hydrologic Engineering Center, River Analysis System (HEC-RAS, version 5.0.7) unsteady flow sediment model was developed to perform a continuous simulation of bed-load and suspended load transport and dredging operations through the Chippewa River and Lower Pool 4 of the Upper Mississippi River navigation channel. The resulting model developed through this effort can be useful in forecasting future channel maintenance needs through this reach of river.
  • Hydrodynamic and Sediment Transport Modeling for James River Dredged Material Management

    Abstract: The fate of material placed during dredging operations within the James River (Dancing Point-Swann Point reach) at a channel adjacent placement mound was modeled within this work. The study focuses on the potential migration of the placement mound into the channel as well as the transport of sediment resuspended during placement. A select combination of US Army Engineer Research and Development-developed models was utilized in this work to appropriately simulate hydrodynamic conditions, pipeline discharge near field suspended sediment estimates, far field transport of the pipeline discharge source term, and mound migration. Results show that the material released into the water column during placement remains in the placement area or is transported out of the area of interest downstream. A small fraction of sediment from the placement mound migrates into the channel after placement. The fine-grained nature of these sediments precludes these small volumes of sediment from depositing in the channel where the currents are strong.