Innovative Dredged Sediment Decontamination and Treatment Technologies

ERDC TN-DOER-T2

December 2000

Innovative Dredged Sediment

Decontamination and Treatment

Technologies

PURPOSE: This technical note describes the dredged sediment decontamination and treatment

technologies presented at a U.S. Section of the International Navigation Association (PIANC) Spe-

cialty Workshop held in Oakland, CA, 2 May 2000. It also presents a discussion of the barriers to

technology implementation and the pertinent findings and conclusions of the workshop.

BACKGROUND: The Innovative Technologies (IT) Focus Area of the Dredging Operations and

Environmental Research (DOER) program emphasizes identifying and evaluating innovations in

dredging operations, processes, equipment, and techniques developed by the dredging and

dredging-related industries worldwide. As part of this effort, DOER IT uses workshops and

professional meetings to bring together key individuals from academia, industry, and government to

exchange information and innovations on state-of-the-art technologies for dredging and dredged

material management. On 2 May 2000, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center

and New York District and the U.S. Section of PIANC sponsored the first Specialty Workshop,

"Innovative Dredged Sediment Decontamination and Treatment Technologies," in Oakland, CA, as

part of the U.S. Section's annual meeting. Cooperating organizations were the Western Dredging

Association, American Association of Port Authorities, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

(USEPA) (Region 2), and USEPA Hazardous Substance Research Center (South/Southwest

Region).

INTRODUCTION: Waterborne cargo alone contributes more than $742 billion to the U.S. gross

domestic product and creates employment for more than 13 million citizens (U.S. Department of

Transportation 1999). Vessels of the future, though more cost-efficient transporters, will need

deeper waterways. Consequently, dredging requirements in the future will increase with this

increased demand for navigable depth, resulting in an increase in generation of dredged material,

including contaminated dredged material (CDM).

Estimates of the size of the contaminated sediment problem vary widely with a high degree of

uncertainty associated with all the estimates. The Marine Board in 1997 stated that approximately

10.7 to 21.4 million cubic meters (14 to 28 million cubic yards (MCY)) of contaminated sediments

out of an average of 216 million cubic meters (283 MCY) that are dredged each year have been

identified as requiring special management (Committee on Contaminated Sediments 1997).

Regardless of the size of the contaminated sediment problem, the Corps of Engineers and ports must

manage increasing amounts of CDM from maintenance dredging each year.

Increasing controversy over adequate management of CDM also adversely impacts the Nation's

waterborne transportation infrastructure and commerce by stopping or delaying dredging projects.

Notable examples include dredging projects in the New York-New Jersey area and the Great Lakes.

In addition, the Nation is facing a monumental task in managing contaminated sediment outside

navigation channels without the benefit of cost-effective sediment remediation technologies.