A Literature Review of the Beneficial Use of Dredged Material and Sediment Management Plans and Strategies

Dredged sediment has a contradictory nature that challenges management: it is a valuable resource in some locations and an unwanted nuisance in others (RSMW, 2013). Nationwide, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) dredges 300 million cubic yards (CY) of material annually to maintain the nation’s navigation channels. Approximately five to ten percent of this material is unusable due to contamination. The remaining 90-plus percent can be re-used (IADC, 2009). This dredging is essential for the safe and efficient operation of the nation’s 25,000 miles of navigable waterways, and 926 harbors, through which over two billion tons of commercial goods move annually (USACE, n.d.). As the agency responsible for maintaining federal waterways, USACE is also responsible for developing regional sediment management plans (RSMP) and dredge material management plans (DMMP). Among other factors provided for within some such plans is a strategy for the placement of dredged sediments to ensure that contaminated materials are properly contained and that non-contaminated material are beneficially placed where they can provide the greatest benefit to the environment.