Date/Time
Date(s) - 03/08/2023
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Categories
Zoom Link: https://ufl.zoom.us/j/95667709576?pwd=NUtQNitES2IyRFJtL1cxWHFwV2Q5Zz09
Guest Lecture: Ms. Monica A. Chasten, Project Manager, US Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District, Operations Division
Seminar Title: Advancing Dredging and Beneficial Use Practices to Support Coastal System Resilience
Mon 8 March 2023; 4-5 pm, Turlington 2319
Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Philadelphia District has been participating in the national Regional Sediment Management (RSM) and Engineering with Nature (EWN) Programs with considerable lessons learned developed for navigation dredging and placement activities in New Jersey, especially since Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Navigation managers from the Philadelphia District continue to partner with USACE’s Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC), the State of New Jersey, various stakeholders and the dredging industry to utilize EWN and RSM strategies in an innovative regional approach to restore navigation as well as enhance coastal resilience. Over the last decade, beneficial use placements involving shoreline stabilization and marsh restoration have significantly increased in our region, helping to advance practices and policies that keep dredged material in the natural sediment system.
This presentation will focus on project implementation, construction techniques, monitoring, and adaptive management for successful dredging and innovative placement projects in New Jersey including island creation in Barnegat Bay, nearshore nourishment on Long Beach Island, and multiple marsh restoration, habitat creation and shoreline protection placements in Cape May County. Technical advancements in design and construction and monitoring continue, but a primary success of these efforts has been a paradigm shift leading to momentum for more beneficial use implementation in New Jersey and Delaware including upcoming dredging and placement projects at Maurice River and Salem River in 2022.
In 2019, the Philadelphia District kicked off the Seven Mile Island Innovation Laboratory (SMIIL), a concept utilized by the Dutch and one that brings the technical and social domains together in a collaborative forum that advances science, practice, and innovation. Working in conjunction with lead partners ERDC, the State of NJ and The Wetlands Institute, data collection efforts in the SMILL began in 2019 followed by multiple dredging and placements that continue to be monitored. An overview of the SMIIL partnerships and projects will be provided.
The Philadelphia District is embracing a new goal of beneficially using 100% of clean New Jersey coastal channel sediments and developing cost effective ways to do so. USACE is a “broker” when it comes to sediment, a much-needed currency in the natural coastal system. With ongoing partnerships, coordination at all levels, improvements to design and project implementation and strong science to support innovation, we continue to work to advance best practices through RSM and triple-win EWN strategies and solutions that address the long-term issues and sustainability of the coastal region.