Dredging removes built-up silt, mud, trash, and other materials from the bottom of a body of water. While the objectives of dredging vary from deepening harbors and waterways to excavation and reclamation, it always results in a certain amount of dredged material being left over after the project is complete. Each year, crews dredge more than 100 million cubic yards of material from busy U.S. waterways, marinas, harbors, and ports alone. That doesn’t even include the sand, clay, dirt and trash dredged from other bodies of water not associated with marine traffic such as ponds, lakes and reservoirs.
What to Do With Sediment After Dredging
Knowing this, it’s only logical that many of our customers ask what to do with sediment after dredging. Fortunately, with experience dating back to 1998 and a history of supplying high-quality dredging and pumping systems to customers around the world, this is a question we’re well-equipped to answer.
Some dredged material must be sent to a confined disposal facility (CDF), but a significant amount can be reused. Now, exactly how you reuse it depends on your objective, as well as whether the dredged material is a waste product, a recovered product or byproduct, or a primary product.
Waste Product from Dredging
If the dredged material is a waste product, there are several ways it can be used. For example, sand can be repurposed for beach nourishment, supporting erosion remediation or creating new beaches. It can also be used for flood defenses when combined with geotextile tubes.
Finer materials also have many applications. Clay can be used as construction fill in new harbor and port areas, while fine dirt can be mixed with additives such as manure, biosolids, or compost to create or enhance topsoil.
Recovered Product or Byproduct
If your objective is to recover a product — in other words, to harvest or gather materials — there’s a wide range of potential uses depending on the product. The same goes for products that are a byproduct of your primary objective with the dredging operation.
For example, dredging is commonly used to harvest peat moss, which is used throughout the world as fuel or to enhance soil. Dredging is also used to recover biosolids — organic materials made from sewage — to create fertilizer.
One of our customers is a golf course that used the Dino 6 to dredge all of its ponds. While doing so, they recovered approximately five 55-gallon drums worth of golf balls, most of which were still in perfectly usable condition!
Primary Product
If you’re mining or dredging for a primary product, there are several potential uses for the dredged materials. Sand, for example, is gathered for a range of production purposes, including the making of glass or as a component in mortar. Dredged material can also include other fine granules — including precious metals like gold.
Know the EPA Regulations
Regulations can affect how dredged material is treated, reused, or disposed of, especially for offshore projects. The Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 regulates the discharge of dredged or fill material into U.S. waters.
The Federal Standard for dredged material disposal or placement, as defined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), is the least costly and most environmentally acceptable alternative. Cost matters, but dredged material still needs to be managed in an environmentally responsible way. The Federal Standard explicitly requires that any chosen alternative be consistent with sound engineering practices and meet all federal environmental requirements.
The Importance of Sediment Testing Before Reuse or Disposal
Contaminant testing is a key step before reusing or disposing of dredged material. Regulators may require sediment testing because dredged material can contain contaminants. Testing helps keep pollutants out of new environments and protects aquatic ecosystems, wildlife and people.
If the dredged material is intended for beneficial use, testing verifies that the sediment quality is appropriate for that specific purpose. Clean sediments might be suitable for open-water disposal or beneficial reuse projects, depending on their physical characteristics and local conditions, while contaminated sediments generally require specialized treatment and disposal at designated facilities.
Landfill Disposal vs. Beneficial Reuse Costs
Traditional dredge spoil disposal can come with several costs, including transportation to a landfill or disposal facility. Disposal facilities also charge tipping fees, usually by the ton or cubic yard. Traditional disposal can also involve permitting and monitoring costs to help prevent environmental harm.
Beneficial reuse of dredged material offers various economic advantages. Using dredged material for beach nourishment, wetland creation, construction fill, or similar projects can help you avoid tipping fees. Dredged material uses might even qualify for grants or funding streams, which can further offset costs.
How Beneficial Reuse Supports a Circular Economy for Dredged Material
Dredge sediment reuse shifts material management from a disposal-first process to a more sustainable, circular approach. Instead of treating dredged material as waste, reuse turns it into a resource for other applications. GeoForm International designs and manufactures a full line of dredging equipment for ponds, lakes and marinas.
Contact Us for More Information
Clearly, there are many different uses for dredged materials depending on the materials themselves and your objective. If you have any further questions about dredged material uses or any of our products, contact our team of experts today!
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