Dredging: Contaminated Sediments

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Research Report Summary, December 1998

Dredging Operations and Environmental Research Program

Dredging:

Contaminated Sediments

Environmental Risk Assessment and Dredged Material Management:

Issues and Application (TR DOER-2)

ISSUES: Evaluating the potential environmental

pants represented a broad range of stakeholders and

included permit applicants, dredged material manag-

consequences associated with dredging and dredged

ers, and risk assessors.

material disposal is a difficult task. Scientific ad-

vancements have made possible the collection of

It was the general consensus of workshop partici-

large amounts of complex technical information.

pants that risk assessment should be used to augment

The dredged material manager must often weigh and

and improve the dredged material management de-

balance multiple and sometimes conflicting lines of

cision-making process. The importance of using

evidences to reach a decision; and each decision

risk-based approaches early in the evaluation proc-

involves a certain level of uncertainty. The applica-

ess was emphasized. However, it was also noted that

tion of Environmental Risk Assessment methods

the current dredged material evaluation approach

will increase a manager's ability to make objective

would be adequate for the vast majority of dredged

dredged material management decisions.

material management decisions. Participants sug-

RESEARCH: A workshop entitled, "Environ-

gested that the greatest benefit of risk-based deci-

sion-making would be found by applying risk

mental Risk Assessment and Dredged Material Man-

assessment in the smaller percentage of projects

agement: Issues and Application" was held 18-20

where there is high uncertainty regarding the poten-

February 1998 in San Diego, CA. The purpose of

tial for adverse environmental impacts. Recommen-

this workshop was to bring together expertise in the

dations generally fell into two categories:

area of dredged material management and risk as-

(a) procedural recommendations (ways to improve

sessment to:

the dredged material decision-making process via

Solicit input on risk assessment guidance being

incorporation of risk-based approaches); and (b) rec-

developed for the dredged material program.

ommendations for improving existing assessment

tools (models, tests, etc.) so that they can be used

Identify important issues with regard to the ap-

more effectively to make risk-based decisions.

plication of risk assessment within the Corps'

regulatory program.

AVAILABILITY OF REPORT: The report is

Identify areas for future research to improve

available in .pdf format on the World Wide Web at

http://www.wes.army.mil/el/dots and through Inter-

upon the process.

library Loan Service from the U.S. Army Engineer

SUMMARY: The workshop was attended by 78

Waterways Experiment Station (WES) Library, tele-

invitees representing Corps field elements, other

phone (601) 634-2355. To purchase a copy of the

Federal agencies, industry, and academia. Partici-

report, call NTIS at (703) 4870-4780.

About the Authors: Drs. David W. Moore (formerly WES), Todd S. Bridges, and Carlos Ruiz (WES

scientists) were the principal investigators for this research; contract support was provided by Drs. Jerry

Cura, Susan Kane Driscoll, and Donna Vorhees, Menzie-Cura and Associates, Inc., Chelmsford, MA, and

Dr. Dick Peddicord, Dick Peddicord & Co., Inc., Parkton, MD. Point of Contact: Dr. Todd S. Bridges,

telephone (601) 634-3632 or e-mail bridget@mail.wes.army.mil.

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