Page 20: of Marine News Magazine (November 2015)

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OP/ED

Sediment Recycling for the Greater Good

By Sean Duffy, Executive Director, Big River Coalition

In 2009, and in response to challeng- are anchored in place. The Bar Pilots and Corps had not es to the status quo practice of disposing used cutterhead dredges in Southwest Pass since the chan- of dredged material from hopper dredg- nel was deepened from 40 feet to 45 feet (1988). However, es as utilized to maintain the deep-draft in an effort to increase the bene? cial use of dredged mate- navigation channel in Southwest Pass rial the Bar Pilots agreed to a one-time test. In 2009, the (the main stem of the Mississippi River industry cutterhead dredge E.W. Ellefsen was utilized for

Ship Channel), members of the navi- channel maintenance in Southwest Pass. The pilot proj- gation industry embraced new ideas ect was successful and when the Ellefsen pumped dredged

Duffy to help promote the bene? cial use of material over the foreshore rocks along Southwest Pass, 46 dredged material. The Big River Coalition formed a stake- new acres of Louisiana were created in the environmentally holder group to focus on recommendations made in a 2007 sensitive bird’s-foot delta of the Mississippi River.

report from the Corps (USACE) Mississippi Valley New The Bar Pilots agreed to continue the use of cutterhead

Orleans (MVN) designed to increase the bene? cial use of dredges along with the hopper dredges that are both need- dredged material by utilizing hopper dredge pump-out. ed to maintain the Mississippi River’s deep-draft channel.

At the time of the initial report, cutterhead dredges were The channel maintenance of Southwest Pass requires both much more expensive than hopper dredges. The stake- types of dredges, working cooperatively and in tandem holder group established guidelines and a path forward with each other. that included areas where hopper dredge pump-out op-

ROVEN ESULTS EASURABLE ENEFITS erations could and/or could not be conducted. The stake- P R , M B holder group included representatives from the Big River Over time, the Bar Pilots have become more comfortable

Coalition, the Associated Branch Pilots of the Port of New with passing cutterhead dredges. Beyond this, they have also

Orleans (Bar Pilots), the dredging industry, the MVN and noticed the cutterhead dredges cut a consistent channel. The from the state of Louisiana’s Of? ce of Coastal Management. pilots are also proud of the new acreage being created each

The MVN explained that in order to conduct the hop- year and agree with the Big River Coalition’s message that per dredge pump-out it would need a ? nancial commit- the increased bene? cial use of dredged material serves to ment from the Louisiana Of? ce of Coastal Management protect the navigation channel. The Big River Coalition has for the incremental cost difference over the normal dredg- focused on changing the historical notion that the material ing operations as per the Federal Standard. But, an agree- removed from navigation channels are “dredge spoils” in or- ment could not be reached for the incremental cost dif- der to highlight the bene? ts by promoting the preferred term ference between the normal channel maintenance costs of of “sediment recycling.” Dredge spoils are in fact a precious a hopper dredge and the additional cost incurred during resource along the Louisiana coast and each year since 2009 hopper dredge pump-out. The stakeholder group had run cutterhead dredges have played an important part in channel its course and developed a plan that could not be executed. maintenance and increasing the sediment recycling program.

In 2009, however, the MVN advised navigation industry In 2014, two cutterheads were utilized for the ? rst time representatives that the cost of a cutterhead dredge was now in channel maintenance in the same ? scal year, and the much more comparable to that of a hopper dredge. After number of acres created each year since 2009 has increased. reviewing the new information and the established stake- In Fiscal Year 2015 a record amount of sediment recycling holder group information, the Bar Pilots, the MVN and Big was achieved with 20.7 million cubic yards creating ap-

River Coalition agreed to a pilot project to utilize a cutter- proximately 2,000 new acres of Louisiana along the bird’s- head dredge for maintenance dredging in Southwest Pass. foot delta. The new cubic yard record is the highest amount of bene? cial use ever achieved by the United States Army

NDUSTRY ONCERNS

I C Corps of Engineers although the previous two records were

The Bar Pilots had legitimate concerns about cutterhead also directly related to dredging on the Mississippi River.

dredges working in Southwest Pass because cutterheads The previous record amounts of cubic yards were both dredges are less maneuverable than hopper dredges and achieved when the Mississippi River Ship Channel was

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