Introduction - trel03-10019

Introduction

1.1 Background

This manual, "Evaluation of Dredged Material Proposed for Disposal at

Island, Nearshore, or Upland Confined Disposal Facilities - Testing Manual,"

commonly referred to as the Upland Testing Manual or UTM, is a resource

document providing technical guidance for evaluation of potential contaminant

migration pathways from confined disposal facilities (CDFs).1

A CDF is an engineered structure consisting of dikes or other structures that

extend above any adjacent water surface and enclose a disposal area for

containment of dredged material, isolating the dredged material from adjacent

waters or land (USACE/EPA 1992).2 Approximately 300 million cubic yards of

material is dredged annually in the United States to maintain navigation, but only

5 to 10 percent of that total volume is deemed unsuitable for conventional open

water disposal because of potential contaminant impacts. Disposal of dredged

material in CDFs is one of the most commonly considered alternatives for such

material. CDFs are also an option commonly considered for disposal of

contaminated sediments dredged for purposes of sediment remediation, either as

temporary rehandling sites or for final disposal. CDFs are also used for disposal

of clean sediments where other options are too costly or present additional

environmental problems. From a technical standpoint, the procedures in this

manual are equally applicable to both navigation dredging (or dredging activities

of essentially the same character as navigation dredging, such as dredging soft-

bottom flood control channels or reservoirs) and contaminated sediment

remediation projects.

If contaminated sediments are placed in a CDF, consideration of pathways for

migration of contaminants from the site and potential contaminant impacts may be

required. A suite of evaluation procedures and laboratory test procedures has

been developed to evaluate CDF contaminant pathways. These procedures are

presented in detail in this manual. Some of these procedures and tests have been

field verified and are now in general use, while others are newly developed and

field verification is underway or planned.

A glossary of terms related to CDFs is provided in Appendix A.

References for this manual are listed at the end of each chapter.

1-1

Chapter 1

Introduction