February 14, 2002

Don't Throw Your Muck in My Backyard

Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina - Most marina owners usually don't have a problem with dredging itself, but they're running out of options when it comes to disposing dredged material. "Maintenance dredging is required every three to five years- it's not just a one-shot deal you take care of when you build a facility," says Robert Semmes, water resources engineer with ATM, a leading environmental, coastal, and water resources engineering firm. "The issue always comes back to where to put dredged material, and marina owners are running out of places."

Upland disposal space is limited, and common waterway disposal sites are frequently encumbered with federal easements and are unavailable to marina owners. According to ATM, it's a significant hurdle to evaluate sediment and transport it to areas where it won't adversely affect an ecosystem.

Semmes offers the following advice for addressing dredging issues:

Consider the alternatives. Marina owners have numerous options for disposal- consider other neighboring upland locations, confined disposal sites, landfills, and acean and inland water dumping. In some regions, disposal areas owned by the Corps of Engineers have become available for recreational marina use.

Get creative. Certain dredged material can be used beneficially rather than treated as waste. The material can be used to bolster levees and dikes, create and restore tidal marshes and managed wetlands, serve as nourishment material on beachs, and cover and seal sanitary landfills. Some can also be used as fill for construction projects.