Co-sponsored by ASCE's Coastal, Oceans, Ports & Rivers Institute and ASCE Continuing Education.

The teleconference method allows the audience to see this webinar straight from my office, without having to travel. I have attended many ASCE webinars and find that ASCE knows how to put together an effective webinar.Anonymous Attendee  

This webinar is part of a six part series. It is recommended that you register for the series to receive the maximum benefits and to earn 7 PDHs. Alternately, you can register for individual parts of this series. Find details on the other sessions offered.

Purpose and Background

The dredging process is defined as removal, transportation and placement of dredged material for constructing new waterways, maintaining existing waterways or obtaining fill for beach nourishment, land reclamation, etc. Dredging is used primarily to create and maintain navigable channels to coastal, estuarine ports, and riverine ports for shipping commercial freight, national defense, environmental enhancement and recovery, and recreation. The US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) performs the vast majority of US dredging, approximately 150 to 200 M m3 annually, to maintain 40,000 km of federal waterways serving 400 major ports with another 75 M m3 dredged privately. Once dredged, the material is placed in open water, upland confined disposal facilities, or along the banks of the waterway. Instead of being disposed of, dredged material is being used more frequently for beneficial uses, but increased costs often limit the percentage of material that can be used in this manner. The Corps, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the states regulate dredging and dredged material placement, for environmental compliance including impacts to water quality and biota.

This webinar presents the basic concepts of dredging, including dredge types, governing laws and regulations, the various placement options, environmental and water quality concerns for each dredge type and placement options, beneficial use options, permits required to conduct a dredging project, and sources of information.

This webinar is one in a series designed by the Waterways Navigation Engineering Task Committee of COPRI. The series presents an overarching picture of Navigation Engineering practice and principles and is tied to a similar series of ASCE Manuals of Practice. The webinars presently offered are:

• Navigation Engineering- Understanding the Basics of This Growing Specialty
• Introduction to Navigation Channel Design (new)
• Dredging Fundamentals (new)
• River Information Services - Basics of RIS and plans for US implementation
• Navigation Engineering Challenges for the New Decade

Primary Discussion Topics

• Types of dredging
• Laws and regulations
• Placement options
• Environmental and water quality concerns for dredge types and placement
• Beneficial uses
• Permits required
• Sources for more information

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the basics of dredging, including key definitions and statistics
• Understand the pertinent laws and regulations that govern dredging and disposal
• Understand the permit process required to conduct dredging
• Understand the different types of dredges and the advantages and disadvantages of each dredge type from a sediments and environmental impacts perspective and the various disposal options for each type of dredge
• Understand the various dredged material disposal options and environmental issues associated with each type of placement including beneficial use options
• Learn the sources of more detailed information on dredging

Webinar Benefits

• Learn the basics of inland and coastal dredging and disposal and what it means for your application
• Learn the governing laws and regulations for dredging and the starting point and path for obtaining permits
• Learn about the pros and cons of each dredge type and dredged material disposal options to allow selection of the most appropriate options, and where practical use dredged material beneficially
• Learn where to go for more information or assistance

Intended Audience

This seminar benefits those who work in the private sector, states, and other government agencies involved with dredging and navigation and also to those who advise these organizations, such as attorneys. The discussion, though technical, involves no equations. Non-engineers can follow the material.

Webinar Outline

• Dredging definitions and statistics
• Pertinent laws and regulations that govern dredging
• Dredge types, advantages, and disadvantages
• Dredged material placement and beneficial use options
• Dredging permit process basics
• Sources of additional information, conferences, seminars, on-line

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