10 Feb 2026

Improving Dredging and Beneficial Use Project Implementation: Review of Critical Data Needs, Technical, and Market Factors

Purpose: This technical note summarizes key results from an applied research study funded by the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) to advance US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) dredging technology and dredged material placement practices. The focus is on beneficial use (BU) of dredged material (DM), hereafter BUDM, that results from USACE’s management of navigation channels and ports around the nation. The objective of the study was to identify the current challenges facing domestic dredging practices and develop ideas and specific steps to drive effective projects. Study themes included improving the efficiency, cost, and procurement practices of the dredging industry; driving technology modernization; and fostering greater competition to promote more innovative dredging operations. A companion technical note goes into further details of our study (Mohan et al. 2025).

10 Feb 2026

Sustainable Dredged Material Management on the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers to Achieve Multiple Benefits

Abstract: This technical report showcases the sustainable dredge material management practices by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers. Over the years, USACE Huntington District (LRH) has continually adapted their navigation operations, dredge maintenance activities, and sediment beneficial use processes in response to changing local and regional hydrodynamic conditions, the results from monitoring, and proactive stakeholder engagement. This report highlights three project sites—Bonanza Bar and R. C. Byrd Locks and Dam on the Ohio River and Winfield Locks and Dam on the Kanawha River—that exemplify sustainable dredge practices consistent with Engineering With Nature® principles. By implementing these best practices, LRH has established a more sustainable dredging program that generates economic, environmental, and social benefits beyond the mere removal of sediment from the federal navigation channel. These innovative practices have successfully achieved multiple benefits while executing USACE’s navigation mission. The data and lessons learned from these projects can be applied to other riverine projects aiming to use sediment beneficially, enhance the development of USACE sustainable dredging practices, and inspire future projects.

5 Feb 2026

Upscaling Nature-Based Solutions for Reducing Risk from Natural Hazards: From Process to Practice

Abstract: Nature-based solutions (NbS) offer an innovative approach to reducing risks from natural hazards, aligning ecological processes with engineering objectives. However, successfully scaling NbS from site-specific interventions to systems-level applications remains a challenge. This paper examines an Engineering With Nature® (EWN®) case study to explore how NbS can be integrated into broader, systems-based engineering practices, demonstrating the transition from conceptual design to wide-scale, regional implementation. One such case study is Deer Island, located off the coast of Mississippi, USA, where EWN approaches stabilized shorelines and restored critical habitats. The project utilized natural sediment transport processes to rebuild marsh and dune systems, enhancing the island’s resilience to storm surges and erosion. Through careful integration of natural and engineered systems, Deer Island serves as a model for how NbS can mitigate risks at both local and regional scales, increasing the ability to recover from a natural disaster and overall ecological health. In particular, the case study highlights the benefit of designing for multiple integrated ecosystem components to deliver a diverse array of ecological functions, goods, and services. The paper further underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, highlighting the role of landscape architects in creating multifunctional designs that incorporate natural features and processes. These designs enhance ecosystem services while addressing societal needs, providing a blueprint for how when combined landscape architecture, science, and engineering can synergize in NbS projects. By synthesizing lessons from the EWN and emphasizing the need for cross-sector collaboration, this paper outlines pathways to scale NbS from localized efforts to comprehensive strategies that reduce coastal storm risk.

29 Oct 2025

Beneficial Use of Contaminated Sediments: A Review of Technical, Policy, and Regulatory Needs

Abstract: This special report summarizes key results from the March 2024 Sediment Management Working Group (SMWG) Contaminated Sediment Beneficial Use Workshop sponsored by US Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC’s) Advanced Materials and Substances of Emerging Environmental Concern (AMSEEC) center, a multilaboratory research collaborative reviewing solutions to environmental challenges, and the Dredging Operations Environmental Research (DOER) Program, the navigational dredging research arm of ERDC. The workshop focused on potential avenues for treatment and management of contaminated sediments to support expanded beneficial use (BU) opportunities. AMSEEC, with support from DOER, sponsored four pilot studies to advance the technical aspects of the workshop program and partnered with the SMWG, an industry consortium, to organize the workshop in Washington, DC. The workshop was attended by more than 75 practitioners and relevant stakeholders to review these pilot studies and the challenges of advancing treatment and management of contaminated sediment to support BU. This special report summarizes and prioritizes technical, regulatory, and policy needs to enable expanded BU opportunities for contaminated sediments.

17 Oct 2025

Northeast Florida Regional Sediment Management: A Guide to Using Dredged Material for Estuarine Restoration

Abstract: Regional sediment management is a systems approach using best management practices for more efficient and effective use of sediments in coastal, estuarine, and inland environments. The primary RSM objective for this Northeast Florida study is to determine what opportunities exist to beneficially use dredged material for ecosystem restoration and habitat enhancement. A secondary objective is to ensure more efficient use of federal funds by coordinating dredging schedules for navigation projects with federal, state, and local authorities. This study met these objectives through collaboration with stakeholders on the technical, social, and cultural components required to combine resources to meet common goals. The Federal Standard for navigation projects in Northeast Florida is either upland disposal or disposal at the Jacksonville Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site. This document describes five beneficial uses of dredged material: (1) thin-layer placement, (2) island creation and restoration, (3) dredged hole filling, (4) shoreline stabilization, and (5) upland beneficial use. Dredged material from navigation projects throughout Northeast Florida was considered, including Fernandina Harbor, Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, Jacksonville Harbor, St. Augustine Inlet, Ponce De Leon Inlet, and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. For each placement strategy, the document outlines the required sediments, volumes, construction methodologies, and estimated costs.

29 Sep 2025

Understanding Hurdles to Expanded Beneficial Use of Dredged Sediment: Stakeholder Perspectives

Purpose: This technical note (TN) is the second in a series of investigative reports seeking pathways and opportunities to expand beneficial use (BU) of dredged material (DM). This TN summarizes the results of stakeholder outreach and feedback on perceptions about potential BU barriers to be overcome. The purpose of the study was to aid the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) dredging and DM management practices, specifically BU of DM (hereinafter BUDM), that USACE manages from various navigation channels and ports around the nation. Per the 28 January 2023 Chief of Engineers’ Command Philosophy Notice, USACE is aiming to achieve a goal of 70% BU by the year 2030 (HQUSACE 2023), hereinafter the Chief’s 70/30 goal.

25 Sep 2025

Effects of Suspended Sediment on Aquatic Organisms: A Literature Review and Database Effort

Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) acknowledges that uncertainties and public perceptions regarding the effects of suspended sediment on aquatic organisms, particularly the concentration thresholds associated with harmful effects, present an ongoing challenge to its dredging mission. USACE is actively working to address these challenges through improved monitoring, research, and collaboration to support safer and more sustainable dredging practices. To help mitigate this uncertainty, 159 field- and laboratory-based studies describing the effects of sediment on aquatic organisms were reviewed and compiled in a database. No- and low-effect ecotoxicity data from this review were further analyzed to determine percentiles of effects data and species sensitivity distributions. The analysis indicated corals and freshwater crustaceans were most sensitive, followed by fish, while bivalves and marine crustaceans appeared to be the most tolerant of suspended sediment. This literature review provides a foundational framework for visualizing site-specific suspended sediment thresholds for effects concentrations associated with potential effects on aquatic species. It serves as a starting point for identifying critical data gaps for future research, layering in additional data, refining thresholds, and supporting more informed, site-specific decision-making moving forward.

27 Aug 2025

Evaluating Transport of Stockpiled Mississippi River System Sand for Beach Nourishment and Other Uses

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Rock Island and St. Paul Districts, maintain 876 miles of shallow-draft navigation channels, dredging approximately 2 million cubic yards of clean, fine- to medium-grained sands from these waterways annually. Due to system constraints and certain state regulatory policies, most of this dredged material (DM) is placed in upland and island facilities. As these dredge placement areas fill with sediment, the districts need to remove sediment to create additional storage or seek new land acquisition. While a significant amount of this DM is being locally used beneficially, the current uses are opportunity driven and dictated by proximity. As such, the districts continue to seek alternative beneficial use practices. One major limiting factor to increased beneficial use is the cost of material transport. Per the Federal Standard, USACE will use the least costly DM placement alternatives that are consistent with sound engineering practices and meet federal environmental requirements. Transport beyond traditional placement sites typically costs much more. The analysis described in this report reviews nontraditional transportation modes and routes to match distant needs with river sediment.

19 Aug 2025

Numerical Modeling of Coastal Processes with Beneficial Use of Dredged Sediment in the Nearshore at Jekyll Island, Georgia

Abstract: This report provides numerical model results to assist the US Army Corps of Engineers–Savannah District (SAS). These results evaluate beneficial use alternatives for the sediment from an advance maintenance widener of the Brunswick Harbor Entrance Channel between stations −14+000 and −28+000. This study applied a coastal wave, hydrodynamic and sediment transport model (Coastal Modeling System), and a shoreline change model (GenCade), focusing on developing and simulating placement alternatives. Subaerial placement model results indicate better shore and beach preservation than at the nearshore nourishment. Placing sediment closer to the “transition zone” between the revetment and natural beach will increase the volume of sand that remains in that area. Some sediment is predicted to return to the channel, but these volumes are small fractions of the placed material. GenCade results indicate that the transition zone rock debris decreases shoreline erosion. Removing it has less impact on that area than any of the subaerial nourishments, but this prediction does not include profile equilibration that may occur after the first 4 months. Overall, model results indicate that subaerial placement will have strong positive response at the eroding beach, and related increases to channel infilling rates are relatively small.

13 Aug 2025

Examination of Activated Carbon Losses During Open Water Placement of Amended Dredged Material for Bioaccumulation Control

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential losses of both powdered and granular activated carbon (AC) resulting from open water placement of AC-amended dredged material to reduce contaminant bioaccumulation. The study examined the results of model predictions, a laboratory dump test, and a field demonstration project performed at the Ashtabula Lake Erie placement site.