On Friday, December 28, 2018, the US Army Corps announced in the Federal Register the selection of ten pilot projects pursuant to Section 1122 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2016.  Section 1122 of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016 requires the US Army Corps of Engineers to establish a pilot program to recommend ten projects for the beneficial use of dredged material. In response to a Federal Register Notice issued on February 9, 2018, the Corps received 95 proposals for beneficial use of dredged material.

Those 95 proposals were evaluated by a team of subject matter experts. Based on criteria contained in Section 1122, ten projects were selected as having a high likelihood of delivering environmental, economic, and social benefits described in the proposals, and exhibit geographic diversity, said the Army Corps.

The ten recommended projects, listed alphabetically by state/territory follow:

California: Restoring San Francisco Bay’s Natural Infrastructure with Dredged Sediment: Strategic Placement;

Hawaii: Haleiwa Small Boat Harbor Maintenance Dredging and Beach Restoration;

Illinois:  Public Beach Protection Pilot in Four Illinois Coastal Communities;

Mississippi:  Deer Island Lagoon Project;

New Jersey:  Beneficial Use Placement Opportunities in the State of New Jersey Using Navigation Channel Sediments: Barnegat Inlet;

Puerto Rico:  Condado Lagoon;

South Carolina:  Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary;

Texas:  Hickory Cove Marsh Restoration and Living Shoreline;

Washington:  Grays Harbor South Jetty Sand Placement Pilot Project;

Wisconsin:  Mississippi River Upper Pool 4, Pierce County Islands and Head of Lake Pepin Backwater Complex—Beneficial Use of Dredged Material.

This is great news, the Army Corps spent a lot of time sorting out these beneficial use proposals and the DCA will work with the Corps and Congress on the next steps to make sure these projects move forward now that they have been authorized, said William P. Doyle, CEO/Executive Director of the Dredging Contractors of America.

Featured Image:  Brown Pelicans on the Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary, South Carolina.  A plan to renourish the island using sand from the Charleston Harbor deepening project will provide pelicans and other coastal birds with new nesting habitat. [SC Department of Natural Resources: Photo credit, Felicia Sanders.]

To see the full announcement, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/12/28/2018-28306/announcement-of-the-selection-of-the-ten-pilot-projects-pursuant-to-section-1122-of-the-water.