Focus Area: Dredged Material Management
Focus Area Leader: Brian McFall, Research Civil Engineer, Coastal Hydraulics Laboratory
Title: Utilization of Upper Mississippi River Dredged Sands for Beach Nourishment – Feasibility Study
POC: Benjamin Emery
Summary: This research will evaluate the feasibility of transporting UMR sands to select beach nourishment projects across the country. If the Federal Standard can be maintained across both supplying and gaining districts, the UMR Districts could significantly change how they manage dredged sediments and increase BU opportunities across nation.
Focus Area: Dredged Material Management
Title: Innovative Dredging Technologies: Sediment Distribution Pipe
POC: David Perkey and Jarrell Smith
Summary: The USCAE is seeking ways to increase the beneficial use of dredged sediment across the nation. This project is developing a technique to hydraulically sort and simultaneously conduct targeted placement of dredged material. These methods could significantly reduce costs associated with rehandling sediment and make many BU projects more feasible for implementation.
Focus Area: Dredged Material Management
Title: Innovative Dredging Technologies – New Dredging and Placement Techniques
POC: Zachary Tyler
Summary: This project aims to address new and chronic dredging problems by introducing, studying the feasibility of, and further developing new dredging vessels and construction methods. The overall goal is to reduce the cost of dredging, supplement the U.S dredge fleet with new vessel designs and vessels. Additionally, this project intends to support those who demonstrate innovation in the field of dredging such as the North Carolina State Ports Authority and the Kansas State Water Office in their efforts to demonstrate and determine the feasibility of WID.
Focus Area: Dredged Material Management
Title: Enhanced Sediment Resuspension Source Models for Dredging Operations
POC: Donald Hayes
Summary: This research project will produce more reliable methods for estimating water quality impacts associated with dredging operations. These methods will be implemented through a new version of the DREDGE model.
Focus Area: Dredged Material Management
Title: Adapting Consolidation Modeling to Optimize TLP Project Design and Ecosystem Service Returns
POC: Susan Bailey and Zachary Tyler
Summary: This research task includes bench scale testing and field data collection to improve our understanding of dredged material consolidation behavior after thin layer placement. The RT will result in a better understanding of the physical processes involved in placement, dewatering and settlement of dredged material in wetland environments, examining the effects of vegetation on placement density, and plant transpiration and rooting on consolidation and its dynamics. It will provide more robust application of the PSDDF model to calculate dredged material settlement over time in order to optimize attainment of the design elevation(s) to facilitate maintenance of sustainable wetlands via thin layer placement of dredged material. These improvements will allow USACE planners and other agencies involved in ecosystem restoration to better design wetland creation projects to reach target elevations, resulting in fewer projects that fail as a result of missed target elevations.
Focus Area: Dredged Material Management
Title: Modeling TLP for Project Design Optimization by Minimizing Confinement
POC: Donald Hayes
Summary: This research project will provide guidance to optimize confinement requirements for TLP projects. A range of innovative retention structures will be tested and guidance provided on their application in lieu of traditional dikes.
Focus Area: Dredged Material Management
Title: Automated Bin Measure Method for Fine-Grained Loads as a Contract Payment Basis
POC: Tim Welp
Summary: This research task is investigating the feasibility of modifying an automated mechanical ullage sensor system (originally designed to measure sand loads) for use in fine-grained material. An automated accurate hopper dredge bin measurement system that can be used as a payment basis in both fine and coarse-grained sediment loads that could be used in lieu of rental contracts will incentivize dredging contractors to maximize production and improve quantification of dredged material being placed to improve dredging contract management efficiency.
Focus Area: Dredged Material Management
Title: Dredging and Dredged Material Management Decision Support Tool
POC: Safra Altman
Summary: Enhancing the CE-DST will improve dredged material management and associated decision making Corps-wide. Developing additional related tools will allow for greater optimization and efficiency of the use of dredged material within the corps and with public and private partners.
Focus Area: Dredged Material Management
POC: Jonathan Marshall and Tim Welp
Summary: This DOER research task will provide an improved scow measurement system to allow more accurate quantification of dredged material quantities to optimize project management and regulatory reporting requirements, and incentivize dredging contractor to maximize production.
Focus Area: Dredged Material Management
Title: Guidance for Wetland Thin Layer Placement (TLP) of Fine and Course Grained Sediment
POC: Candice Piercy and Tim Welp
Summary: The guidance document provided by this research task will improve the planning, permitting, design, construction, and maintenance of TLP projects to facilitate the acceptance and expansion of TLP in using dredged material from navigation projects beneficially to restore degraded wetlands.
Focus Area: Dredged Material Management
Title: TES Mitigation and Monitoring Techniques to Increase Dredging Windows and TES Protection
POC: Brian McFall
Summary: The objectives of this research task will be to coordinate with USACE divisions and districts and regulatory agencies to; 1) improve engineering controls (TC) to reduce TES turtle and sturgeon takes and 2) develop a more efficient and less expensive turtle survey system to collect spatially and temporally-based occurrence data for making scientifically-defensible risk mitigation decisions.
Focus Area: Dredged Material Management
Title: Innovative Sediment Management Technologies for Channels and Reservoirs
POC: Tim Welp, Joe Gailani, and Paul Schroeder
Summary: Understanding the potential for WID to fluidize sediments and conditions under which these fluidized sediments will move as a density current are key to broader application of WID to maintain navigation channels and maintiain reservoir capacity. If properly applied, WID provides a cost-effecitve method to remove sediments that are notoriously difficult to manage. Demonstration of WID potential will foster the environment for industry/government collaboration to build required WID infrastructure to expand WID application in the United States. Another means to reduce dredging costs is sand trapping; BI technologies provide the opportunity to reduce shoaling by preventing bedload sediment from entering channels and reservoirs at the source, typically creeks, arroyos, and small rivers.
Focus Area: Dredged Material Management
Title: Quantification of DM Layer Thickness over Time as Applied in TLP Wetland Nourishment Projects
POC: Susan Bailey
Summary: This research task includes bench scale testing and field data collection to improve our understanding of dredged material consolidation behavior after thin layer placement. The RT will result in a better understanding of the physical processes involved in placement, dewatering and settlement of dredged material in wetland environments, examining the effects of vegetation on placement density, and plant transpiration and rooting on consolidation and its dynamics. It will provide more robust application of the PSDDF model to calculate dredged material settlement over time in order to optimize attainment of the design elevation(s) to facilitate maintenance of sustainable wetlands via thin layer placement of dredged material. These improvements will allow USACE planners and other agencies involved in ecosystem restoration to better design wetland creation projects to reach target elevations, resulting in fewer projects that fail as a result of missed target elevations.
Focus Area: Dredged Material Management
Title: Evaluation of dredging requirement as a function of channel infill processes
POC: Ashley Frey and Lauren Coe
Summary: This tool will allow for more informed dredging decisions and has the potential for economic benefits as it will allow for more efficient and accurate dredging scheduling that will better coincide with what occurs in the channels and harbors. Finally, the tool will assess the site’s response to periods of high tropical storm activity and rainfall totals to aide in the overall understanding of what factors most impact infilling of channels and harbors.
Focus Area: Dredged Material Management
Title: Stand-Alone Model Interfaces
POC: Matthew Taylor and Jarrell Smith
Summary: This research task will develop new model interfaces that are user-friendly and that will run on today’s computers. In addition, this project seeks to define sustainable paths forward so as to keep interfaces and tools up to date. These developments will provide districts with easy-to-use interfaces for dredge models.
Focus Area: Dredged Material Management
Title: Dredging Portal Web Tools
POC: Linda Lillycrop and Paul Schroder
Summary: Through enhanced analysis and evaluation tools and an integrated web-based portal, this effort will provide improved data access, visualization, and decision support for Corps dredging operations managers, HQ, and R&D, resulting in greater efficiencies across the Navigation business line and increased support for the national marine transportation infrastructure.
Focus Area: Dredged Material Management
Focus Area: Risk Management
Focus Area Leader: David Moore, Research Biologist, Environmental Laboratory
Title: Evaluating Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) to Improve Habitat Monitoring Near Dredging Operations
POC: Andrew McQueen
Summary: This research will be beneficial to collecting specific and applicable real-time or near real-time water quality and soundscape data near dredging operations. If successful, these technologies can reduce the use of assumptions in analysis, improving and expediting the consultation process. The net benefit of the research would be a reduction in labor costs to the agencies and the public. The potential impacts to the Corps navigation mission extends to all Corps Districts with projects or studies involving dredging operations.
Focus Area: Risk Management
Title: Guidance for Communicating Risks of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Dredged Sediments
POC: Andrew McQueen
Summary: This research will be beneficial to address precautionary, poorly informed regulatory decisions regarding the disposal of dredged sediment, inform approaches to standardized methods, and inform definitions of micro- and nanoplastic. In the absence of data, often overly conservative (and unrealistic) safety factors and thresholds are applied which adversely impact the USACE dredging mission. This research will complement and build a decision support roadmap for USACE response to microplastic concerns based upon recently completed DOER research and would leverage the congressional research on nanomaterials.
Focus Area: Risk Management
POC: Gui Lotufo
Summary: Bioaccumulation testing is the costliest and most time consuming component of the required testing conducted for the evaluation of dredged material (DM). The current suite of bioaccumulation tests requires large volumes of sediment to be collected, shipped and processed under controlled conditions. The objective of this project is to assess the benefits and viability of standardizing miniaturized benthic bioaccumulation tests and micro analytical methods to optimize bioaccumulation testing while meeting regulatory requirements for adequately assessing potential for biological impacts.
Focus Area: Risk Management
POC: Taylor Rycroft and Scott Stone
Summary: This study will determine whether a robust AI/ML algorithm can provide a faster, cheaper, and more accurate prediction of Tier III testing outcomes than current operating procedures can offer, thereby streamlining dredged material evaluations and expediting the risk-informed planning phase of USACE feasibility studies.
Focus Area: Risk Management
Title: Preliminary Risk-Based Guidance for the assessment of PFAS in Dredged Material
POC: Gui Lotufo
Summary: Interpretive guidance for the assessment and management of PFAS in sediment, surface water, and dredged material is urgently needed so that Districts to address the presence of PFAS in dredged materials. A series of laboratory studies will be conducted using representative freshwater and marine sediments to determine the potential for adverse impacts potential of PFAS to the benthos and to higher-trophic-level biota in the aquatic food webs. We will also conduct an evaluation of the effectiveness of potential treatment options for sediment-associated PFAS.
Focus Area: Risk Management
Title: Cost-Effective Stabilization of Dredged Sediment for Capping and Beneficial Use
POC: David Perkey
Summary: The USCAE is seeking ways to reduce the placement of dredged sediments in upland or offshore disposal areas, and instead utilize the sediments beneficially within the local system. The ability to apply clean rapidly stabilized, navigation dredged FGS for beneficial use could save nearly half of the cost of alternative disposals practices. The objectives of this research task are to develop the necessary test methods, analytical tools, and interpretative guidance for identifying dredged FGS most appropriate for beneficial use and how amendments can be applied which rapidly stabilize the created deposit. This guidance will increase beneficial use to support source control, construct caps, and place dredged FGS for wetland construction and enhancement of intertidal zone elevation.
Related Information:
Journal Article: Production and abundance of macro-aggregate bed clasts from moderately consolidated cohesive beds and their implications for sediment management
Focus Area: Risk Management
Title: 3D Printed Design for Remediation and Monitoring of Dredged Material
POC: Al Kennedy
Summary: The benefit to USACE operations is greater dredging mission certainty in the face of regulatory requirements on discharges through rapid, targeted treatment and monitoring for CoCs in dredging plumes using materials that can be produced or even fabricated in the field. This allows the capability to rapidly deploy remediation and monitoring measures for unexpected discharge events made possible by 3D printing capability that eliminates the need to order materials and stop operations when waiting for part delivery. The seemingly limitless structural configurations and ability to create novel thermoplastic filaments for printing research tailored additives will provide this research effort with rapid and adaptive flexibility to overcome previous barriers.
Focus Area: Risk Management
Title: Rapid Dredged Material Management Protocol for Amendment Dosage Selection
POC: Carlos Ruiz and Paul Schroeder
Summary: The results of the laboratory studies will be used with modeling to transition laboratory results into predicted field performance considering nature and quality of the amendments to select dosage and placement methods. The prediction of temporal response to amendment addition will address site characteristics, including bioturbation intensity and depth, and sedimentation and resuspension rates, as well as mixing and placement characteristics, including heterogeneity as a function of mixing method and duration, intermixing with sediment bed, thickness of amended layer, and stability.
Focus Area: Risk Management
Title: Dredging Evaluation Decision Making and Networked Data Documentation (DEMAND) Tool
POC: Al Kennedy
Summary: The benefit to USACE operations is a more streamlined, consistent decision-making process standardized across USACE Divisions through dissemination of a modernized software application platform that is reflective of the latest science and easily updateable for consistently planning and executing dynamic DM evaluations; it will reduce disputes, unnecessary testing, and costly project delays and enable streamlined, cost-efficient reporting of results and faster review by standardized reporting templates summarizing only the essential information for current and future DM management decisions all while being consistent with the Navigation Data Integration Framework objectives.
Products:
Video: Dredging Evaluation Management, Analysis and Networked Documentation (DEMAND) Application Demo
Video: Dredging Evaluation Visualization, Organization and Integration Database (DEVOID) Tool Demo
Focus Area: Risk Management
POC: Burton Suedel and Safra Altman
Summary: The project will develop and apply in practice a risk-informed management approach for evaluating dredging and placement effects on sensitive habitats. This approach will more completely inform appropriate risk management strategies, thus more efficiently managing and communicating these risks.
Focus Area: Risk Management
Title: Quantifying Variability/Uncertainty in Lab Based Bioaccumulation Tests
POC: David Moore
Summary: Improved interpretative guidance better enabling discernment of meaningful differences in bioaccumulation test results will streamline dredged material assessments and reduce unnecessary expenditure of resources when it is not warranted. The proposed work will establish variability inherent to the bioaccumulation test and enable development of improved interpretative guidance that accounts for variability associated with the test so that biologically meaningful differences can be established.
Focus Area: Risk Management
Title: Microplastics in Dredged Material
POC: Burton Suedel
Summary: This project will provide a literature review of the available studies to understand the current science on the effects of microplastics in the aquatic environment. The project will assess the presence of microplastics in dredging project sediments and develop techniques to detect and quantify microplastics in sediments so the severity of the problem in existing dredged material can be assessed. Understanding the nature and extent and potential impacts of microplastics in dredged material will allow USACE Districts to apply this knowledge to dredging projects where microplastics are a concern. The USACE dredges approximately 300 million cubic yards of sediment annually so this research has significant potential to be useful to multiple Corps Districts, thereby providing information that can be used as part of ongoing dredging activities.
Focus Area: Risk Management
Title: Field Validation of Chronic Sublethal Dredged Material Toxicity Tests
POC: David Moore
Summary: Goal of this project is to more broadly disseminate results of a multiyear field validation study through publication of the study’s findings in the peer reviewed literature.
Focus Area: Risk Management
Title: Use of Dredged Material to Facilitate Contaminant Source Control
POC: David Moore
Summary: The goal of this project is to identify the critical biophysical parameters governing the use of clean dredged material to stabilize and isolate contaminant sediment sources and the engineering requirements for successful and cost effective implementation. The application of clean dredged material to contaminated sediment source stabilization/isolation will prevent contaminated sediments from entering USACE managed navigation infrastructure (e.g., channels, turning basins, etc.) potentially yielding significant savings resulting from less costly management requirements. In addition, any reduction in management of contaminated materials in the USACE Operations and Management program will result in reduced long-term environmental liability as a consequence of less material requiring sequestration and management in USACE owned confined disposal facilities (CDFs) and enable a larger percentage of material to be used beneficially.
Focus Area: Risk Management
Title: Streamlining Sediment Bioaccumulation Bioassay Methods and Evaluation Approach
POC: Gui Lotufo
Summary: The goal of this work is to reduce costs associated with sediment bioaccumulation testing on USACE dredging projects by streamlining the list of COC for body burden determination on bioassay organism and follow-up evaluation and by reducing the cost while optimizing bioassay methodology. Specifically, this project will provide an approach for evaluating only those COCs with a potential to result in an undesired impact arising from benthic bioaccumulation. Bioassay methodology will also be improved by proposing new methods efficiently obtain large masses of L. variegatus following whole-sediment exposures.
Focus Area: Risk Management
Title: Proactive Interpretive Guidance to Address Confounding Factors in Dredged Material
POC: Jay Lindsay
Summary: This project will produce guidance that will allow dredge material managers and governing agencies to make informed decisions on species selection based on material parameters that are a best fit for a selection of bioassay species. This informed decision making will allow for more cost effective management of dredge material by reducing the impact of non-contaminant confounding factors.
Focus Area: Risk Management
Title: Sustainability Improvements for the USACE Navigation Mission
POC: Kate Fox-Lent
Summary: This project will undertake a specific exploration of the many formulations and conceptualizations and develop an understanding of how sustainability can be applied to the USACE Navigation mission. The study will be enhanced through a series of case studies that will demonstrate potential sustainability improvements from removing specific inefficiencies or implementing specific improvements. These case studies will include a base case scenario implementing “business as usual” approaches, and also an improved sustainability scenario implementing targeted measures under alternative policies or practice. This will allow side-by-side quantitative comparison of the base case and alternative scenarios in order to inform policy development and decision making.
Focus Area: Risk Management
Title: Innovative Capping for Navigation Channels
POC: Carlos Ruiz and Joe Gailani
Summary: Current capping designs for these high energy sites often require removal of a large depth of sediment to provide for the thickness of an armored cap with many filter layers to preserve the authorized depth of the channel for navigation. A tool to address the effectiveness of a thinner, mobile cap and guidance for design and implementation of these thinner caps will help the public and regulatory agencies maintain their trust in the capping technology resulting in greater acceptance of projects by environmental groups.
Focus Area: Risk Management
Title: Alternative Zooplankton Species for Elutriate Toxicity Tests
POC: Alan Kennedy
Summary: The zooplankton elutriate toxicity tests developed from this research involved acquisition of four marine copepod species and one cladoceran. Selected organisms were shown sensitive to persistent contaminants of concern (e.g., copper) but less confounded by non-persistent contaminant (ammonia) and handling stress relative to development toxicity tests. Further, these organisms were successfully cultured in the laboratory, which is not possible for development tests, making them readily available year round to avoid project delays. The expected results are widespread use of these methods in 103 dredging evaluations and savings to USACE in reduced management costs due to removal overly restrictive Limiting Permissible Concentrations for open water placement operations.
Focus Area: Risk Management
Title: Development of Rapid Assessment Tools for Sediment Remediation Evaluations-Recovery In Situ
POC: Carlos Ruiz
Summary: As remediation technology implementation keeps running into external disturbances that both impact the design and performance of the remedial action, we need to develop tools/frameworks that can easily evaluate sediment remediation performance subject to those external challenges. The framework to address the effects of lack of complete source removal, temporal impacts to the remedial technology, and other seasonal disturbances will help the public and regulatory agencies maintain their trust in the technology. Therefore, a framework is needed to quantify and aid in the selection and implementation of sediment remediation alternatives.
Focus Area: Risk Management
Focus Area: Environmental Resource Management
Focus Area Leader: Todd Swannack, Ph.D., Research Biologist, Environmental Laboratory
POC: Todd Swannack
Summary: Optimizing operational efficiency for dredging is a primary concern affecting the USACE Civil Works mission. Currently, dredging operations are constrained by restrictions designed to reduce incidental mortality on threatened and endangered species. In coastal waters, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) sets incidental take limits in Biological Opinions for USACE dredging projects. These take limits are often based on the precautionary principle and do not often consider current data. This study will quantify incidental take limits imposed upon USACE and present them in the context of take limits for other agencies and industries.
Focus Area: Environmental Resource Management
Title: A Framework for Systematic Wetland Beneficial Use of Dredged Sediments
POC: Candice Piercy and Joe Gailani
Summary: This project will demonstrate how to optimize BUDM to support sustainable dredged material management as well as supporting tidal and subtidal restoration and resiliency goals, minimizing dredged material transportation and placement costs and adverse impacts while facilitating collaboration with USACE maintenance dredging operations and coastal wetland managers.
Focus Area: Environmental Resource Management
Title: Integrated modeling to better predict habitat performance from BU and NNBF
POC: Joe Gailani
Summary: This research will develop a coupled physical processes/ water quality/ wetland ecosystem evolution model with fidelity required to evaluate design alternatives for sustainable, resilient ecosystems, including sustainable dredged material management strategies to support wetlands. Guidance for developing similar modeling systems for other habitats will also be developed.
Focus Area: Environmental Resource Management
Title: Fish entrainment trends during hydraulic dredging in San Francisco Bay
POC: David Smith
Summary: The analysis suggest that we are entraining large numbers of fish and invertebrates which in turn increases probability of entraining federal and state listed species. Reducing overall fish and invertebrate entrainment would also reduce the entrainment of federal and state listed species. Understanding the data we have may help shape effective strategies to reduce entrainment and increase the USACE ability to dredge cost effectively.
Focus Area: Environmental Resource Management
Title: Effects Dredge Activity and Noise on Atlantic Sturgeon Behavior
POC: Matthew Balazik
Summary: There is currently no knowledge of whether or how Atlantic sturgeon modify their behavior due to dredge activities. Time of dredge operations in rivers is already restricted during the spring anadromous fish run and expansion of dredging restrictions specifically for fall run ATS would drastically hinder dredge operations in East Coast rivers. Taking a proactive approach by increasing our knowledge of whether or how dredging modifies ATS behavior will help USACE address concerns from NMFS. This effort will also provide a foundation that can be used for other interactions between dredge activities and aquatic species of concern.
Focus Area: Environmental Resource Management
Title: Predicting Marsh Response to Dredged Material Placement
POC: Candice Piercy
Summary: Advancing the practice of thin layer placement activities in marshes requires a simple tool that can predict how marsh elevation will respond to the sediment placement so impacts can be better quantified and placement activities can be better designed. The planned updates to MEM will incorporate best current science to provide thin layer placement practitioners a tool to better plan and design marsh thin layer placement projects.
Focus Area: Environmental Resource Management
Title: Characterizing Underwater Sound Risk Due to Dredging
POC: Burton Suedel
Summary: Research on the effects of underwater sound on aquatic life has increased over the last decade, but there are still many unanswered questions, especially with regards to the significance of sound risks due to dredging activities. In particular, the extrapolation of effects on an individual to effects at the population or community level is highly uncertain. In situations when sound alone does not pose unacceptable risk at the population level, these combined with factors such as fishery by-catch, pollution and other stressors may yield adverse effects. It is therefore important to develop a framework whereby the assessment of various sources of underwater sound can be made to improve our ability to manage such stressors. Understanding the effects of underwater sound originating from dredging and other anthropogenic activities will allow for USACE Districts to apply this approach at other dredging sites where underwater sound is a concern. The USACE dredges approximately 300 million cubic yards of sediment annually so the framework developed has significant potential to be used by multiple Corps Districts, thereby providing an approach that can be used as part of ongoing dredging activities. (Image of a backhoe dredge by WODA, 2013).
Focus Area: Environmental Resource Management
Title: Implementation Strategies and Effectiveness Evaluation of Turtle Tickler Chains
POC: Tim Welp and Dena Dickerson
Summary: Although a previous study demonstrated the feasibility for deploying the TTC and the underwater performance of the chains during dredging, it did not address the effectiveness of the chains to reduce incidental take of sea turtles. This research task will conduct the coordination between various stakeholders to arrange a TTC demonstration, and evaluations made to determine the effectiveness for the tickler chains to reduce incidental turtle takes. If TTCs are shown to be effective in protecting sea turtles during dredging projects, they may be a more cost-effective protection method than the currently used draghead deflector, and could be used in lieu of the deflectors.
Focus Area: Environmental Resource Management
Title: Emerging Technologies for Detecting Aquatic Species
POC: Jay Bennett
Summary: ERDC has partnered with an Army military sponsored STTR program to leverage critical funding for this advanced sensor and detection algorithm development and testing effort. A small business technology firm is developing this active acoustic marine life watch system under contract, with technical oversight by ERDC and Jacksonville District Corps of Engineers personnel. The expected result of this effort is a field system that will provide real-time situational awareness of nearby T&E species during dredging and other Corps channel maintenance and enhancement activities (Figure 3).
Focus Area: Environmental Resource Management
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Focus Area Leader: Duncan Bryant, Research Hydraulic Engineer, Coastal Hydraulics Laboratory
Title: Evaluating Bedload Sediment Collectors to By-Pass Shoaling Sediment
POC: Chuck Theiling
Summary: This research will evaluate the effectiveness of bedload sediment collector by-pass systems which may be an alternative to replace dredging and keep sediment in transport where river current velocity alone is insufficient. This research could lead to significant changes and cost savings for riverine channel management, and it is applicable in coastal settings too.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: Numerical Modeling of Eroded Mud Aggregates
POC: Earl Hayter
Summary: This project will develop and document an improved sediment transport model that is capable of simulating the transport and abrasion of mud aggregates generated during dredging activities and by mass erosion of mud beds in most estuarine and coastal waters. This will result in improved sediment transport predictions, and thus will benefit the navigation program of USACE Districts by decreasing the uncertainty of evaluations of the benefits and risks for sediment management practices such as BU and strategic placement of dredged material in sites in proximity to navigation channels.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: Beneficial Use of Dredged Sediment to Support Nearshore Nourishment
POC: Brian McFall
Summary: Least cost nearshore nourishment will provide the Navigation program with placement sites that meet the federal standard, provide sustainable placement capacity, and provide coastal resilience benefits. These practices will compliment beach nourishment and other more costly DMM alternatives with the added benefit that they can be used during each dredging cycle. An evaluation and monitoring protocol that demonstrates that these practices are environmentally acceptable/beneficial and supports coastal resilience will increase application across the USACE.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: Wetland Sediment Transport Processes Supporting System Resilience
POC: Joseph Gailani
Summary: Wetland acreage must be maintained to support coastal resilience. Placement of dredged sediment in open water to nourish and/or protect marshes will support USACE coastal resilience mission. This research project will improve wetland evolution models that operate on multi-decadal time scales to support evaluation of sediment management alternatives which reduce wetland erosion and/or increase sediment deposition. These models can then be applied to modify long-term dredged sediment management strategies such that the placed sediment supports wetland resilience by reducing subsidence and/or edge erosion. Benefits of this change of parctice may be observable only on the scale of decades. Therefore, robust models that demonstrate benefits (and identify risks) are critical to implementing sustainable, beneficial dredged sediment management practices.An internal USACE team will support application of this system throughout USACE. Using this system, Cost-effective dredged sediment LTMS will be implemented and benefits will be provided across multiple USACE business lines.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: Comprehensive Modeling Approach to Evaluate Habitat and FRM Benefits from BU
POC: Joseph Gailani
Summary: This research will develop a coupled physical processes/ water quality/ wetland ecosystem evolution model with fidelity required to evaluate design alternatives for sustainable, resilient ecosystems, including sustainable dredged material management strategies to support wetlands. Guidance for developing similar modeling systems for other habitats will also be developed.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: Habitat Loss and Performance Degradation from Vessel Wake
POC: Joseph Gailani
Summary: The product of this research task will provide a broadly applicable method to evaluate recession induced by recreational vessel wake and quantify the benefits of channel management, nature-based and hard-structure solutions designed to reduce recession.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: Developing a Community Approach to Support Improved Dredged Material Management Strategies
POC: Joseph Gailani
Summary: The product of this research will provide an Expert Modeling System and in-house expert staff to improve community engagement and reduce project costs, reduce delays, and improves stakeholder perceptions of USACE as a partner which can support economic, flood risk management, social, and environmental benefits to a community. Stakeholders will be participate in project development using a flexible approach which identifies and addresses stakeholder priorities. An internal USACE team will support application of this system throughout USACE. Using this system, Cost-effective dredged sediment LTMS will be implemented and benefits will be provided across multiple USACE business lines.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: Supporting Bank Stabilization and Riverine Habitat Using Dredged Sediment
POC: Joseph Gailani
Summary: This research will develop a coupled physical processes/ water quality/ wetland ecosystem evolution model with fidelity required to evaluate design alternatives for sustainable, resilient ecosystems, including sustainable dredged material management strategies to support wetlands. Guidance for developing similar modeling systems for other habitats will also be developed.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: Comprehensive Rapid Modeling of Dredged Material Placement and Fate
POC: Joseph Gailani
Summary: The product of this research task will provide a broadly applicable method to evaluate dredging and placement operations within a single user-friendly interface. The model will be able to readily access USACE databases as well as directly generate input required for far-field fate and long-term fate models. District users will no longer require of multiple model interfaces and will not have to post-process data before implementing long-term or far-field models which use dredging model output. Improved physics and process descriptions will improve model accuracy and range of applicability.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: Sediment Profile Imaging to Evaluate Dredged Sediment Placement
POC: Joe Gailani
Summary: Thin-layer placement of dredged sediment in shallow water can support USACE regional sediment management goals. Sediment can be placed stragically in open water, permitting natural hydrodynamic forces to winnow and transport various sediment grain size classes such that desired sediment classes move toward targeted resources, such as wetlands, mudflats, or beaches. These sediments will then nourish the resources and address sustainability issues related to recession, subsidence, and sea level rise. However, shallow water placement sites often include critical benthic habitat. Therefore, regulatory approval may be difficult to obtain and, once permitted, significant restrictions may be applied to minimize risk to benthic habitat. SPI monitoring systems, placed strategically around a placement site during and after operations can be used to desmonstrate that regulatory criteria are being met. The monitoring systems can also be used to adaptively manage placement operations and assure regulatory compliance. Post-placement, SPI systems will quantify the rate of benthic habitat recovery. Application at multiple sites will permit development of guidance documents to improve thin-lyaer placement approval and management at additional sites.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: CORSED Consolidated Sediment Transport Code
POC: Earl Hayter and Gaurav Savant
Summary: This project will provide USACE projects requiring sediment transport modeling an adaptable sediment transport framework which has been applied at multiple sites where validation data are available. CORSED library will be linked with operational hydrodynamic frameworks such as ADH, GSMB, and CMS, and will be incorporated into reimbursable projects as an alternative to existing, more limited sediment transport codes. Therefore, technologies will be transferred to districts through this collaboration. ERDC and USACE will benefit from a new team of sediment transport modelers who understand the complexity of cohesive sediment model parameterization and interpretation.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: Acoustic Camera Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV)
POC: Brian McFall and David Young
Summary: This project investigates the use of a 3D acoustic camera to acquire two-dimensional velocity vector fields from PIV analysis. We performed an experiment to quantify the two-dimensional velocity field of a simple laboratory flow using PIV with both 3D acoustic camera images and standard optical camera images, along with ADV transect measurements, to determine whether the acoustic camera PIV results are accurate. The success of this project will lead to an entirely new technique to measure flow velocities in turbid environments in the field, one that yields substantially more information than the technologies currently available (i.e., two-dimensional velocity vector fields) and allows velocity gradient based hydrodynamic signals to be directly estimated.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: Sediment Accretion in Thin Layer Placement (TLP) Marshes
POC: Brandon Boyd
Summary: This project will enhance the understanding of the sustainability of TLP projects as well as identify performance criteria that will be helpful in determining the best practice for beneficial use of dredged material used for TLP. Comparison of the sediment record in TLP and adjacent reference marshes will help determine the trajectory and time line of recovery of natural accretion dynamics to TLP marshes and any alterations in the accretionary process that should be expected temporarily or long-term. Understanding these processes will squarely address gaps in the USACE’s fundamental knowledge of 1) optimizing design of TLP projects 2) how and for how long these beneficial use practices will persist and 3) how TLP site sediment accretion dynamics differs from natural marsh systems.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: A New Strategy for Water Quality Monitoring
POC: Burton Suedel
Summary: Alternatives for characterizing turbidity and suspended sediment near-field impacts during dredging operations as currently conducted during compliance monitoring will be improved to more completely understand the potential exposure to sensitive aquatic resources. Unmanned aerial technologies offer a more viable and flexible alternative to conventional platforms such as manned monitoring vessels. This approach will produce evidence-based information about the plumes scale to help engage the process of leveraging better-informed regulations and dredging strategies. Findings of the proposed research will also help direct future dredging assessment and management practices worldwide.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: Physical Model of Flow Field around a Draghead
POC: Brian McFall and Duncan Bryant
Summary: Coastal USACE Districts currently work with regulatory agencies to determine hopper monitoring techniques and entrainment risk, but there are extremely limited published data on the hydraulic flow field around hopper dragheads. This study is conducting a scaled physical model of a draghead to quantify flow field around a draghead. The collected from this model can be used to validate numerical hydraulic and entrainment models.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: Evaluation of Strategic and Direct Placement to Feed Mudflats and Marshes
POC: Joe Gailani
Summary: Understanding sediment processes after placement of fine grained dredged material on or near mudflats and marshes is key to successful application of these methods for rebuilding valuable habitat and flood protection value provided by these resources. Data are limited on application of dredged FGS to protect and nourish mudflats and marshes. If properly applied, dredged material can provide these benefits with minimal interupption to existing habitat. The lack of data demonstrating the benefits of fine grained dredged material for supporting mudflats and marshes has limited appropriate design and regulatory approval of these projects. Design of new projects presently includes large uncertainties resulting in part from the limited monitoring and analysis of previous projects. Comprehensive data sets from selected ongoing projects for the fate of dredged FGS at direct and strategic placment sites implemented to feed mudflats and marshes will support stakeholder outreach and the regulatory approval processes required to obtain project approval and will improve the design/success of these projects.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: Development of a Dredged Material Color Change Propensity Index to Promote Beneficial Use
POC: Jacob Berkowitz
Summary: Development of a standardized protocol for evaluating dredged sediments considered for beneficial use placement will encourage further usage of sediments associated with navigation dredging efforts. Additionally, our approach will provide a template to develop predictive capabilities regarding the capacity of dredges sediments to change color following placement.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: Physical Properties and Settling Velocities of Eroded Aggregates
POC: David Perkey
Summary: Recent flume studies conducted at CHL, investigating the erosion processes involving cohesive (mud) and heterogeneous (mud and sand) sediments, have observed that erosion frequently occurs as aggregates of sediment, as opposed to discrete particles. The larger size of aggregated particles can have settling velocities several orders of magnitude greater than disaggregated sediment, and thus reduce their transport time within the water column. The aggregation of sediment may also significantly impact the mode of transport of material (i.e. bedload vs suspended load). By measuring and parameterizing these aggregate erosion properties and processes new algorithms can be developed that will allow for the improvement of current cohesive sediment transport models.
Related Information:
Journal Article: Production and abundance of macro-aggregate bed clasts from moderately consolidated cohesive beds and their implications for sediment management
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: Durability of Bed Aggregates
POC: Jacob Berkowitz
Summary: DOER is engaged in improving the understanding of fine-sediment transport processes to better anticipate the outcomes of innovative techniques for sustainably handling dredged material. Laboratory experiments will define hydrodynamic and sediment property controls on aggregate durability and fine sediment transport modes. This research will be transferred into practice through 1) technical reports and technical notes that will communcate general concepts and field-applicable understanding and 2) computational algorithms that can be applied to evaluate strategic placement design alternatives.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: Sand Enhancement from the Dredging Process
POC: Tim Welp
Summary: Understanding the losses of fine material during the initial dredging and placement process provides an opportunity to better utilize currently unacceptable sediment from navigation channels while not negatively impacting the environmental functionality of beaches. This opportunity will also reduce the need for expansion of Offshore Dredge Material Disposal Sites (ODMDS) and upland Dredge Material Management Areas (DMMA’s) or Confined Disposal Facilities (CDF’s). Furthermore, it will save O&M dollars by opening up placement areas close to shore. Results of this initiative are not only important to Regional Sediment Management (RSM) goals and basic principles of retaining sand to the littoral zone but also rely on the sorting of sediment during dredging and the natural sorting of sediment once placed to match background conditions that are key principles of Engineering With Nature (EWN) and strategic placement.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes
Title: Technology for Measuring Thin Sedimentation
POC: Matthew Taylor and Anthony Priestas
Summary: This RT will develop methods and data collection protocols to quantify small-scale, dredge-induced bed elevation change in sensitive habitats where small amounts of sedimentation/erosion must be quantified to identify risk. These methods will help address questions concerning topics such as the impacts of dredging operations on downstream or nearby ecosystems; as well as the effectiveness and fate of dredge material placed in a region for beneficial use. The data from fine scale bed elevation monitoring will be used to validate models for far-field sedimentation, which presently remain un-validated due to the lack of data collection methods.
Focus Area: Sediment and Dredging Processes