1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,640
So historically , a lot of when it came 

2
00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:05,410
to dredge material , the perception was 

3
00:00:05,410 --> 00:00:07,577
that the sediment was almost viewed as 

4
00:00:07,577 --> 00:00:10,390
a contaminant . However , that policy 

5
00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:12,567
is turning around and change it and we 

6
00:00:12,567 --> 00:00:15,010
now are focusing on trying to keep the 

7
00:00:15,010 --> 00:00:17,510
sediments within the system and that is 

8
00:00:17,510 --> 00:00:19,454
to manage our dredge material more 

9
00:00:19,454 --> 00:00:21,677
efficiently and effectively and cheaper 

10
00:00:21,677 --> 00:00:23,899
as well . So here within the Seven Mile 

11
00:00:23,899 --> 00:00:26,000
Island Innovation Laboratory , also 

12
00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,000
known as smell , one of the primary 

13
00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,780
concerns is bird habitat and nesting in 

14
00:00:31,780 --> 00:00:34,240
particular . Over the recent years with 

15
00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:37,100
sea level rise , a lot of the habitat 

16
00:00:37,100 --> 00:00:39,650
has started to get too much water on 

17
00:00:39,650 --> 00:00:41,872
its too low of an elevation . So one of 

18
00:00:41,872 --> 00:00:43,872
the beneficial uses that we've been 

19
00:00:44,010 --> 00:00:46,380
primarily targeting has been placing 

20
00:00:46,380 --> 00:00:48,910
material on the wetlands simply to to 

21
00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:51,250
increase the elevation of the island to 

22
00:00:51,260 --> 00:00:54,030
aid bird habitat and nesting the 

23
00:00:54,030 --> 00:00:55,863
observation platforms that we're 

24
00:00:55,863 --> 00:00:57,974
installing . Currently , they're more 

25
00:00:57,974 --> 00:00:59,808
focused on sediment dynamics and 

26
00:00:59,808 --> 00:01:01,752
transport within the wetlands . So 

27
00:01:01,752 --> 00:01:04,230
there uh instrumentation is looking at 

28
00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:06,630
water velocity within the marsh and 

29
00:01:06,630 --> 00:01:08,770
then how the sediment sizes and 

30
00:01:08,770 --> 00:01:10,937
settling velocities . So when we place 

31
00:01:10,937 --> 00:01:13,060
this dredge material on the marsh or 

32
00:01:13,060 --> 00:01:15,282
adjacent to the marsh , we get a better 

33
00:01:15,282 --> 00:01:17,282
understanding of if it stays on the 

34
00:01:17,282 --> 00:01:19,338
marsh platform , if it moves off the 

35
00:01:19,338 --> 00:01:21,504
marsh platform and how far we think it 

36
00:01:21,504 --> 00:01:23,671
might transport . Ultimately , we want 

37
00:01:23,671 --> 00:01:25,870
the sediment to be retained in the 

38
00:01:25,870 --> 00:01:28,550
wetland areas so that it can provide 

39
00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:30,700
habitat and we work with 

40
00:01:30,710 --> 00:01:33,280
multidisciplinary team biologist 

41
00:01:33,290 --> 00:01:36,310
Ecologist and they inform us what the 

42
00:01:36,310 --> 00:01:38,570
desired outcome is for the ecosystem . 

43
00:01:38,580 --> 00:01:41,950
So it's those specialists that know 

44
00:01:41,960 --> 00:01:45,060
what elevations what sediment types , 

45
00:01:45,060 --> 00:01:47,830
what vegetation types are desirable and 

46
00:01:47,830 --> 00:01:49,941
that actually benefit the ecosystem , 

47
00:01:49,941 --> 00:01:52,120
paired with people like me that are 

48
00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:55,660
sediment research specialists that are 

49
00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,320
train to measure how the sediment is 

50
00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:01,209
going to move , how it's going to 

51
00:02:01,209 --> 00:02:03,431
disperse how it might interact with the 

52
00:02:03,431 --> 00:02:05,940
vegetation . Is coupling those two 

53
00:02:05,940 --> 00:02:08,060
teams together , which provides the 

54
00:02:08,060 --> 00:02:11,070
real benefit and being very strategic 

55
00:02:11,070 --> 00:02:13,320
about where we play stretch material 

56
00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:15,570
under what conditions and what we hope 

57
00:02:15,570 --> 00:02:17,570
the outcome would be . The Corps of 

58
00:02:17,570 --> 00:02:20,860
Engineers is engaged in many things to 

59
00:02:20,870 --> 00:02:23,500
mitigate sea level rise , the impacts 

60
00:02:23,500 --> 00:02:25,940
of climate change . This this is one of 

61
00:02:25,940 --> 00:02:28,940
them where we're seeking to use a 

62
00:02:28,940 --> 00:02:31,690
resource the sediment that we dredged 

63
00:02:31,690 --> 00:02:33,746
from our channels and put it to good 

64
00:02:33,746 --> 00:02:37,260
use for the ecosystems in society . Mhm .