Dredging Roundup North America

JJM Completing Turnour Island Sediment Remediation
JJM Construction of Vancouver B.C. Canada is completing a sediment remediation contract for Public Works and Government Services Canada.

The project involves environmental dredging of mildly contaminated marine sediments surrounding the former timber pile locations at the Turnour Island site. JJM removed the timber piles in February 2012 in a previous phase of this project.

There are 39 pile locations to be dredged which will yield approximately 120 cubic meters (158 cubic yards) of contaminated sediment for disposal. The dredged holes will then be backfilled with an equal quantity of clean gravel. JJM will employ an innovative caisson dredging technique to ensure that each dredging location is completely isolated during the dredging and backfilling process. The dredged material will be disposed of at a licensed soil disposal facility.

The project began in November 2012 and is scheduled for completion in January 2013.

Galveston Engineers Announce Barbours Cut Plan
The Galveston Engineer District announced on January 9 plans to dredge about 300000 cubic yards of material from the Barbours Cut Terminal Main Channel. The plan includes dredging about 1300000 cubic yards from the Houston Chip Channel from Morgan’s Point to the State Highway 146 bridge reach.

Option one will consist of about 45000 cubic yards of material in the Barbours Cut Turning Basin. Option two will consist of about 78000 cubic yards of material in the Houston docks adjacent to the Barbours Cut Terminal Main channel.

Solicitations will be issued on or about January 30. The estimated cost for the project is between $5 million and $10 million.

Gulfport Channel Dredge Plan Announced
The Corps of Engineers began maintenance dredging of the 14-mile long Gulfport Mississippi Ship Channel in early December. Patrick Robbins a spokesman for the Mobile Engineer District told the Gulfport Sun Herald that the Corps had $2.4 million to spend on the work. That will only cover 2.65 miles of dredging. The work will be concentrated in a critical area at the channel’s northern end which is at only 28 feet deep.

Robbins said another $8 million is needed to bring the channel to its authorized dimensions of 36 feet deep and 300 feet wide. Port officials say the channel’s working depth is about 33 feet.

Dredging Restores New Jersey Pond
The Quarry Pond dredging project in Englewood New Jersey was completed recently marking the first time the site at the Flat Rock Brook Nature Center was cleared since the 1970s according to Northjersey.com.

The project’s funding began in October 2010 when the city council re-appropriated $280000 from two old bond ordinances from 2002 and 2007. Work started in August and was completed in October although the nature center leadership is still tying up some loose ends said Steve Wiessner the center¹s executive director.

“We’re very excited about the project being completed as it is going to allow for a wide variety of wildlife to inhabit the pond and really expand education opportunities to teach about aquatic education” Wiessner said.

With 30 years worth of sediment Quarry Pond had become almost too shallow for marine life. At its deepest Quarry Pond was only two feet deep making it difficult for the few remaining fish to survive said Wiessner.

After dredging the pond is expected to be six feet deep. Rainwater will refill Quarry Pond which is expected to be completed by this spring. The Department of Environmental Protection will work with the nature center to provide a stock of fish to replenish the pond to its former lively state Wiessner said.

“Turtles and frogs have found their way back to the pond already” he said. Wiessner hopes to revive an educational program called Pond Studies that stopped two years ago when the pond accumulated too much sediment.

Accabonac Harbor Dredged in East Hampton
A long-awaited dredging project in Accabonac Harbor in the East Hampton section of Long Island began in the first week of January. The dredge from Gibson & Cushman Contracting Inc. arrived at the site on January 4 the East Hampton Patch reported. The dredge will open the inlet and channel and rebuild the Louse Point Beach moving approximately 25000 cubic yards of material out of the inlet and onto the beach.

County Legislator Jay Schneiderman and East Hampton Town Trustee Clerk Diane McNally were at the foot of the harbor when it moored Schneiderman said in a January 8 statement. Schneiderman who also chairs the Public Works Committee said the dredging would continue through January 15. The county is paying $1.4 million for the project.

Schneiderman said he “fought hard” to include Accabonac Harbor in the 2012-13 dredging schedule following two other dredging projects in Three Mile Harbor and Northwest Creek over the past two years.

The project provides dual benefits for the town said McNally. “For the environmental concerns it needs to be open so it can have that tidal flush” she added.
Accabonac Harbor was the last harbor in the town to reopen to shellfishing after Superstorm Sandy which closed all harbors in its aftermath out of fear for the lack of tidal exchange.

”Dredging is so important to so many townships” McNally said. “We’ve actually had three [projects] done this year after a long hiatus.”

School Officials Asked to Store Dredged Material
New Jersey state officials asked the Cape Henlopen school board on December 13 to approve a dredging plan for Silver Lake that involved storing dredged material on a school property the Cape Gazette reported.

Silver Lake adjoins Rehoboth Elementary School and Frank Piorko director of watershed stewardship for New Jersey’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control told the board the dredged material would be piped into ten 100-foot by 35-foot Geotubes. Another pipe removes water and the dried materials are then trucked elsewhere for fertilizer or landfill.

Piorko said the dredging would take place in the summer months when school was not in session. The tubes would sit in an unused area adjacent to the baseball field and would be removed in the summer of 2014.

Saugatuck Council OKs $30K for Dredge Study
The Saugatuck (Michigan) City Council approved $30000 on December 27 to be matched with another $30000 from the neighboring community of Douglas to study ways of remedying Kalamazoo Lake’s siltation problems the Holland (Michigan) Sentinel reported.

Councilman Mark Bekken cautioned that the study does not automatically mean dredging will be done. “It’s going to erase a lot of unknowns by sampling depths and soil” he said.

Kalamazoo Lake Harbor Authority has proposed dredging several 75-foot wide channels at depths from 6 to 10 feet so boats can reach marinas and navigate onto Lake Michigan.
Details of a possible five-year dredging plan that could require a $2 million bond are available at sdharborplan.com

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North Carolina Dredge Money Included in Sandy Bill
The U.S. legislature included money for North Carolina dredging in the Hurricane Sandy Supplemental Appropriations Bill it passed in late December. At press time parts of the House version of the bill were still being considered.

Sen. Kay Hagen (D-S.C.) praised the Senate for passing the bill. “While our state may not have received the very worst of Hurricane Sandy areas in northeastern North Carolina are still hurting” she said on her website. “This bill provides crucial resources to ensure that the affected communities can repair damaged infrastructure and keep our inlets and waterways open to commercial fishing boats shipping vessels and ferries that carry residents and visitors on and off our barrier islands.”

The Corps of Engineers has identified $30 million in damage to North Carolina caused by Hurricane Sandy. Projects to repair these damages would be eligible to receive funding through the Army Corps under the Senate bill.

South Haven Dredging Underway
A dredging project in Black Harbor South Haven Michigan began in early December. D. K. Construction began removing 3400 cubic yards of material from the river bottom and placing it in a former electric barn near the Black River Park boat launch.

The work was requested when staff members at the Museum Municipal Marina noticed several vessels touching bottom.

Harbormaster Paul VandenBosch told the Kalamazoo Gazette in early December that the work should be completed by mid-January.

Monmouth Beach Replenishment Underway
The $8.5 million Monmouth Beach New Jersey replenishment project by the Corps of Engineers was well underway when Hurricane Sandy forced a halt in November. The Corps resumed work in December and is now able to extend its Monmouth Beach work toward the neighboring town of Sea Bright if necessary.

“The Army Corps is pleased to be able to partner with the state of New Jersey to conduct this coastal storm risk reduction work especially in light of the recent severe impacts throughout the region from Hurricane Sandy” Corps New York District Commander Col. Paul Owen said in a statement. “As an added bonus this work should not only help to mitigate some of the impacts of future coastal storms but will also help provide the community improved recreation and lead to economic benefits as well.”