Identification of Beneficial Use Needs and Opportunities

Framework for Dredged Material Management

May 2004

6.2 Identification of Beneficial Use Needs and Opportunities

The first step in assessment of beneficial use alternatives is to identify the local

needs and opportunities for beneficial use. This may involve surveys of activities which

may need material with certain characteristics or surveys of needs for certain site uses.

Likewise, if the dredged material from a project is known to have desirable

characteristics for a number of beneficial uses, then a survey of potential opportunities for

use of that material or specific placement sites should be made. A general description of

the major categories of beneficial use is given in the following paragraphs. Each of these

categories should be considered in identifying needs and opportunities for beneficial use

for the specific project conditions. Additional details on each of the categories are found

in EM 1110-2-5026 (USACE 1986).

6.2.1 Habitat Restoration/Enhancement

Habitat development refers to the establishment and management of relatively

permanent and biologically productive plant and animal habitats. Use of dredged material

as the substrate for habitat development is one of the most common and most important

beneficial use categories. The use of dredged material for habitat development offers a

disposal technique that is an attractive and feasible alternative to more conventional

disposal options. Within various habitats, several distinct biological communities may

occur. For example, the development of a dredged material island may involve a wide

variety of wetland, upland, island, and aquatic habitats.

Wetland habitat is a broad category of periodically inundated communities,

characterized by vegetation which survives in wet soils. These are most commonly tidal

freshwater and saltwater marshes, bottomland hardwoods, freshwater swamps, and

freshwater riverine and lake habitats. Disposal of dredged material on a viable wetland so

that the wetland is destroyed and converted into a disposal site is never an

environmentally preferable alternative. However, restoration/enhancement of wetlands is

an alternative that can benefit the environment and has the potential of gaining wide

public acceptance when some other techniques cannot. In general, restoration of a former

wetland is more likely to be successful than creation of a new wetland where none had

existed previously (Kusler and Kentula 1990). In selecting a site, alteration of substrate

and changes in circulation and sedimentation patterns should be considered. In general,

the material used for wetland restoration should remain water-saturated, reduced, and

near neutral in pH. These characteristics have a great influence on the environmental

activity of any chemical contaminants which may be present. Extensive discussion on

and procedures regarding development of wetland sites can be found in Hayes et al.

(2000).

Upland habitat includes a broad category of terrestrial communities, characterized

by vegetation that is not normally subject to inundation. Types may range from bare

ground to mature forest. Regardless of the condition or location of a disposal area,

considerable potential exists to convert it into a more productive habitat. Small sites in

densely populated areas may be keyed to small animals adapted to urban life, such as