WEDA Pacific Chapter Meets in Hawaii

The WEDA Pacific Chapter met on October 24 through 26 2007 at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Honolulu Hawaii.

The meeting was well-attended by many Corps of Engineers and private sector individuals.

At a Corps/Dredging Contractors meeting on Wednesday October 24 Barry Holliday of the Dredging Contractors of America led a discussion on a number of topics of interest to companies contracting with the U.S.government.

He described the revised format of traditional pre-bid meetings held by the Corps of Engineers with potential bidders. In the form of a teleconference (conference phone call) the pre-solicitation meetings will allow dredging contractors to provide input on dredging methods and cost drivers that will allow the Corps of Engineers to create a more biddable contract.

Cost drivers are items such as fuel costs and compliance with government regulations that may be unique to a specific contract and that cause companies to increase their bid amounts.

“This is a new aspect of partnering” said Holliday stressing that during the discussion the proprietary issues of each contractor are protected.

Other topics were the role of multibeam in hydrographic surveying Federal Technical Data Solutions (FedTeDS) as a source of contracting information overdepth dredging emergency dredging contracts ICHDMG (Industry/Corps Hopper Dredge Management Group) and continuing contracts.

Corps of Engineers representatives from the Pacific and West Coast U.S. areas then described projects planned in their areas. They were: Allen Churchill Chief Operations Branch Alaska District; Thomas J. Szelest Chief Navigation Section Seattle District; Hiram Arden Navigation Project Manager Seattle District; Jim Pennaz Chief Civil Works Tech Branch Honolulu District; Mo Chang Chief Navigation Section Los Angeles District; Dylan Davis Chief Waterways Contracts Portland District; Jim Sandner Chief Operations Branch Kansas City District; and Steve Chesser Dredging Program Manager San Francisco District.

On October 25 Col. Lawrence Sansone Deputy Division Commander and Chief of Staff Pacific Ocean Division USACE welcomed the group to Hawaii and WEDA president Bill Hanson opened the program.

Technical Presentations

Long-Term Dredging Strategic Plan for the Small Ports of Pacific and Wahkiakum Counties Washington Vladimir Shepsis Coast and Harbor Engineering Inc.

Jetty Island Habitat Preserved by Dredged Material at Everett Washington: Doing the Right Thing With Dredged Material by Hiram Arden Seattle District COE.

Environmental Assessments of Dredged Material in the Pacific: Challenges by David W. Moore and Shelly Anghera Weston Solutions.

Innovative Construction Contracting for Todd Pacific Shipyards Sediment Superfund Cleanup by Matt Woltman Floyd/ Snider.

Effects of Dredging on Coral Reefs by Jim Maragos USF&W.

Coral Reef systems and compensatory Mitigation Strategies in the 21st Century: Watershed Approaches in the Pacific by Cindy S. Barger COE Honolulu district.

Kuhio Beach Nourishment Project by Dolan Eversole University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program.

Designing and Permitting a Multi-User Contained Aquatic Disposal (CAD) Site in Port Hueneme California by Steve Cappellino Anchor Environmental.

Barge Dewatering on Contaminated Sediment Projects. An Overview of Options by Reid Carscadden Integral Consulting; and John Lally Independent consultant.

Why Did the Dredges go? an explanation of why Great Lakes Dredge & Dock has deployed much of their fleet to the Middle East by Bill Hanson GLDD.

Special Situations: Sediment Remediation Constraints Within Urban Areas by Richard May Dalton Olmsted & Fuglevand.

Fork Island Dredging & Upland Disposal Project Nehalem Oregon by Keith Kroeger Tetra Tech EC Inc.

Recovery of Dry Bulk Spillage in the Port of Los Angeles: A Case History by Nick Buhbe AMEC and Kathryn Curtis Port of Los Angeles.

Lunch on Thursday featured a revue of Polynesian dancing and a fire dancer.

On Thursday afternoon Dolan Eversole University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program led a walking tour of the Kuhio Beach Nourishment Project close by the hotel illustrating the complication of nourishing even a heavily-used beach such as Waikiki which had eroded so badly that the retaining wall was wet at high tide.

The final event was election of new officers. Doris McKillup president turned the gavel over to Pete Rude new president. Other officers for the coming year are: Vice President Kathryn Curtis Port of Los Angeles; Treasurer Chris Houck The Retec Group; Secretary Bill Hussin Manson Construction Co.; and Program Director E. Allen Churchill Jr. P.E. Alaska District Corps of Engineers.

Corporate sponsors of the meeting were: AMEC Anchor Environmental Coast & Harbor Engineering Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Integral Consulting Manson Construction Company Moffatt and Nichol Nautilus Environmental Port of San Diego The Dutra Group The RETEC Groups (merged with ENSR) SNF Environmental Vosta Inc. and Weston Solutions.