Page 33: of Marine News Magazine (June 2023)

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Feature

Dredging

Louis, Mo.; Memphis, Tenn.; Vicksburg, Miss.; and New OTHER PROJECTS AND ISSUES

Orleans, La. The Corps spends around $1.5 billion each year on dredg-

Eight dredges were central for maintaining a 9-foot ing in hundreds of navigation projects across the country. channel, focused on the Mississippi, between St. Louis The Corps is responsible for maintaining and improving and Cairo, Ill. The Corps was looking to add three more nearly 12,000 miles of shallow-draft inland and intracoastal dredges, two for harbors in Memphis and Vicksburg and waterways, 13,000 miles of deep-draft coastal channels and one for the Red and Ouachita Rivers. 400 ports, harbors and turning basins throughout the U.S.

In December, the Mississippi’s lowest stage was minus Top issues each year, across the industry, are presented at 10 feet. For perspective, Bodron noted similar low-? ow the USACE’s annual National Dredging Meeting, sched- conditions in 2012 but fewer river traf? c problems in uled this year for May 24 in Atlanta. The meeting includes 2022. Bodron cited NOAA data that 2022 was the 15th dredging leadership from government and industry, and it driest year nationally. precedes a next-day (May 25) meeting of the Industry/Corps

Bodron said dustpan dredges work best on the lower Mis- Hopper Dredge Management Group, a forum for represen- sissippi, where four were at work. He referred to dustpans as tatives from hopper dredge companies and the Corps. “big vacuum cleaners”. Cutterhead dredges are primarily used Kate Skelton, USACE’s Coastal Navigation Program for harbors, he said. Demands on crews and equipment were Manager, said top issues in 2023 are safety, bene? cial use extensive. The dustpans, in December, had already worked of dredged material, modernizing and strengthening na- almost 100 days. Normal dispatch is about 45 days each year. tional waterways and “strengthening communications and “So, we’ve got twice the dredging we’ve already had in the relationships with our partners”. The meetings provide a lower river,” Bodron reported, “And we expected that could chance to meet with USACE District leadership as well be up to 200 days of dredging if the low water continues.” as Corps personnel from various of? ces, such as ERDC

These intense efforts did not go unnoticed by the Users – USACE’s Engineer Research and Development Center –

Board. Chairman W. Spencer Murphy, with Canal Barge and contracting and cost estimating.

Company, complimented and thanked the Corps: “The Bene? cial use (BU) is a focus among USACE regions

Corps has done a tremendous job keeping navigation and across federal agencies. On the West Coast, for exam- channels open and ? nding creative ways to fund non-stop ple, in USEPA Region 9 (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Ne- dredging operations. We never lost our ability to operate vada, the Paci? c Islands, and 148 Tribal Nations) EPA and on the rivers despite record low water conditions. It’s a USACE work together on BU. Michael Brogan, with the credit to the Corps’ proactive work to identify dredging Region 9 press of? ce, said “(EPA’s) top focus continues to needs and mobilize into action. For this great work, we be bene? cial reuse of material from navigational dredging, thank the Corps, including many leaders in this room, for as opposed to wasting that material in the ocean. Bene? - your help in ensuring that our inland system remains a cial reuse advances climate resiliency and is a nature-based reliable mode for moving the nation’s critical freight.” solution as called for by the Administration.” Brogan said

Lisa Parker, with the MVD press of? ce, was asked EPA’s aim is to “signi? cantly increase” BU; now, just 40% about lessons learned from the 2022 drought. She said of dredged material is reused in Region 9.

that communication between industry and the Corps was Money and timing are factors with BU. Hauling costs important in order to know about shoaling problems and can go way up and the overall BU schedule may not align dredging priorities. She said social media will be used more with when dredging can be done. Brogan said EPA is work- extensively in the future. ing with coastal states to set policies and permitting frame-

Another lesson: equipment maintenance. Two USACE works to “encourage the removal of barriers to dredged dredges – the Jadwin and Potter – are over 90 years old. material reuse.” He added that “multiple regulatory and re-

Parker said maintenance was scheduled regionally to en- source agencies operate in our region’s dredging realm, par- sure that only one dredge was down at a time. This worked; ticularly in California, so close coordination on all elements

MVD had no major breakdowns. is critical to make reuse happen.” Regarding environmental www.marinelink.com MN 33|

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