WEDA and Texas A&M Host Dredging Summit & Expo 2014
The Western Dredging Association (WEDA) and Texas A&M University will host the Dredging Summit & Expo 2014 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto Canada from June 15 to 18.
The theme Expanding the Dredging World includes a pre-conference short course on Responsible Design of Dredging Projects and a post-conference tour of the Hamilton Harbor Randle Reef project.
The pre-conference short course addresses the practical aspects of conducting dredging in a responsible manner. The topics include geotechnical sampling requirements excavation and transport by mechanical and hydraulic methods the selection of placement areas and modeling and meeting effluent quality needs. Speakers include Robert Ramsdell manager of production engineering Great Lakes Dredge and Dock; Robert Randall professor of dredging engineering and director of the Center for Dredging Studies at Texas A&M University; and Donald Hayes Department of Civil Construction and Environmental Engineering University of Nevada at Las Vegas.
K.A. Luncy P.E. director of infrastructure planning & environment Toronto Port Authority will give a welcome message at the opening ceremonies.
The main conference begins Sunday June 15 with an ice breaker from 7 to 10 p.m. in the exhibit hall. The opening ceremonies Monday June 16 at 8 a.m. are followed by the Texas A&M seminars until 5 p.m. The WEDA technical program and safety and environmental panels are Tuesday June 17 with the conference awards dinner that evening. Wednesday June 18 the technical program continues from 8 a.m. to noon.
The list of accepted abstracts for the technical programs can be found online.
The conference also includes an excursion to Niagara Falls with a cruise lunch and winery tour on Sunday June 15 from 8:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Attendees can register with $150 payment by May 15. The tour departs the Fairmont Royal York Hotel for a 15-minute Hornblower Cruise in Niagara Falls at 10:30 including photo opportunities at the observation deck. Lunch at Elements on the Fall then a tour along Niagara Parkway to Trius Estates Winery Tour and tasting at Hillebrand Winery. The tour includes some time on your own for leisure and shopping at Niagara on the Lake before departing at 5:30 p.m.
The post conference technical tour is Wednesday June 18 from 1 to 6 p.m. to Randle Reef Hamilton Harbor Area of Concern (AOC) on Lake Ontario. The site is an approximately one-hour bus ride from the hotel. It is one of the largest contaminated sediment sites on the Great Lakes. Proposed remediation includes a 7.5 hectare engineered containment facility (ECF) that will manage PAH and heavy metal contaminated sediments. The engineering design and environmental assessment are complete for the project. Construction will begin in the summer of 2014 and be completed by 2012.
For more information or to register contact Larry Patella at 360-750-0209 or weda@comcast.net or visit the WEDA website at www.westerndredging.org.
