Center for Contaminated Sediments - Case Studies & Projects

Case Studies and Projects

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ERDC Contaminated Sediment Projects Supporting Corps Districts/USEPA

Ketchikan Pulp, AK

Purpose: Cleanup CERCLA Lead: PRP--Ketchikan Pulp	Contaminant: PAHs
USACE Role: Technical review of feasibility study.
Technical Issues: Wood debris in deep water makes dredging difficult, no disposal site available near by.
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Silver Bay, AK

Purpose: Cleanup Lead: State AK	Contaminant: PAHs
USACE Role: Technical review of feasibility study.
Technical Issues: Wood debris in deep water makes dredging difficult, no disposal site available near by.
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Baldwin Ship Channel, CA

Purpose: Navigation Lead: San Francisco District	Contaminant: Metals, butylins, PAHs Vol Dredged Material: Channel Deepening
USACE Role: Contaminant pathway testing and evaluations, disposal facility design requirements.
Technical Issues: Containment releases for confined disposal facilities
Products: Miscellaneous Paper EL-93-17. View on-line or download part1.exe and part2.exe
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Marina del Rey, CA

Purpose: Navigation Lead: USACE Los Angeles District	Contaminant: Metals, organics Vol Dredged Material: 500,000+ cu yd
USACE Role: Design and construct.
Technical Issues: Effective cap design, convince local public that capping environmentally protective.
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Oakland Harbor, CA

Purpose: Navigation Lead: San Francisco District	Contaminant: PAHs, PCBs, organotins, pesticides, metals Vol Dredged Material: Channel Deepening
USACE Role: Contaminant bioavailability from bedded and suspended Oakland Harbor Deepening Project Sediments.
Technical Issues: Continued use of in-bay DM disposal sites. Relative avialability of contaminants in re-suspended DM and in bedded DM. Comparisons of contaminated sediments outside dredged channel with Central SF Bay surficial sediments re-suspended by wave action.
Products: Miscellaneous Paper EL-94-7. View on-line or download part1.exe and part2.exe
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Oakland Harbor, CA

Purpose: Navigation Lead: San Francisco District	Contaminant: Metals, butyltins, PAHs, PCBs Vol Dredged Material: Channel Deepening
USACE Role: Contaminant pathway testing and evaluations, disposal facility design requirements.
Technical Issues: Contaminant releases for confined disposal facilities.
Products: Miscellaneous Paper EL-92-12, Vol 1 and 2
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Palos Verdes Shelf, CA

Purpose: Cleanup Natural Resource Trustee Lead: NOAA	Contaminant: DDT, PCBs Vol Dredged Material: 17 sq km contaminated area
USACE Role: Planning level feasbility study, design requirements for insitu and dredging options, assessment of deep water dredging technologies.
Technical Issues: Vast area and volume to be remediated, water depths 30 to 200 m, implementability issues for dredging.
Products: 1994 Expert Report for NOAA/DOJ
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Palos Verdes Shelf, CA

Purpose: Cleanup Lead: USEPA Region 9	Contaminant: DDT, PCBs
USACE Role: Study of capping options for EECA including contaminant pathway testing, modeling for cap placement, cap stability and cap effectiveness.
Technical Issues: Selection of capping areas, cap design, equipment and techniques for cap placement, ability to construct cap in deep water, cap erosion potential, seismic stability, long term flux of contaminants through cap, monitoring requirements.
Products: Technical Report EL-99-2
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Richmond Harbor, CA

Purpose: Navigation Lead: San Francisco District	Contaminant: Metals, butyltins, PAHs Vol Dredged Material: Channel Deepening
USACE Role: Contaminant pathway testing and evaluations, disposal facility design requirements.
Technical Issues: Contaminant releases for confined disposal facilities
Products: Miscellaneous Paper EL-93-18
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Pearl Harbor, HI

Purpose: Navigation Lead: U.S. Navy PACDIV	Contaminant: Metals, PAHs Vol Dredged Material: Periodic Maintenance
USACE Role: Multi-Phase Dredged Material Management Plan, testing and evaluations, disposal facility design requirements.
Technical Issues: Water quality certification requirements, retention effectiveness of confined disposal facility, land disposal regulations.
Products: ERDC/EL SR-00-3, ERDC/EL SR-00-4, ERDC/EL SR-00-5
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Calumet River CDF

Purpose: Navigation Lead: Chicago District	Contaminant: PCBs
USACE Role: CDF Management
Technical Issues: Re-mobilization and distribution of PCBs in disposed material to fish and invertebrate organisms colonizing CDF. Comparisons with residues in organisms collect from River and navigation channel sites.
Products: 1994 Report to Chicago District
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Indiana Harbor

Purpose: Navigation Lead: Chicago District	Contaminant: Metals, PAHs, PCBs Vol Dredged Material: 200,000 cy
USACE Role: Field demonstration of dredging technologies, contaminant pathway testing and evaluations, formulation of alternatives, disposal facility design requirements.
Technical Issues: Modeling for no action option, contaminant releases for dredging resuspension, uplnd and nearshore confined disposal facilities and contained aquatic disposal sites, TOSCA disposal requirements.
Products: Miscellaneous Paper EL-87-9, Vol 1 and 2
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Manistique Harbor, MI

Purpose: Cleanup CERCLA Lead: USEPA Region 5	Contaminant: PCBs Vol Dredged Material: 100,000+ cu yd
USACE Role: Technical review, HQEPA Interagency Review Panel.
Technical Issues: Contaminant release during dredging, feasibility of meeting cleanup goals by dredging versus in-situ capping.
Products: 1995 Interagency Review Panel Report to HQEPA
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Saginaw River, MI

Purpose: Navigation Lead: Detroit District	Contaminant: Metals, PCBs Vol Dredged Material: Annual Maintenance
USACE Role: Field monitoring and laboratory testing.
Technical Issues: Concentrations of contaminants in hopper dredge overflow, ability to continue overflow practices, retention effectiveness of confined disposal facility.
Products: Miscellaneous Paper D-89-3, Miscellaneous Paper EL-91-4
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Saginaw River, MI

Purpose: Navigation Lead: USACE Detroit District	Contaminant: PCBs
USACE Role: CDF management.
Technical Issues: Biotreatment effectiveness investigated with field pilot study, results being evaluated.
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Black Rock Harbor, CT

Purpose: Naviagtion Lead: HQ USACE, New England District, EPA Narragansett Lab	Contaminant: Metals, PCBs Vol Dredged Material: Pilot Placement sites for upland, wetland, and aquatic
USACE Role: Contaminant pathway testing and evaluations, and field sampling for validation of laboratory based predictions.
Technical Issues: Contaminant releases and environmental effects for upland, wetland and aquatic disposal environments. Validation of laboratory testing protocols.
Products: Technical Report D-88-5, Technical Report D-88-6, Technical Report D-88-7, Technical Report D-89-2
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Housatonic River, MA - General Electric Pittsfield Site

Purpose: Cleanup RCRA Lead: USEPA Region 1, New England District	Contaminant: PCBs Vol Dredged Material: 60,000 cu yd
USACE Role: Removal Action Design and Construct, screening model, remedial investigation, technical oversight.
Technical Issues: Contaminant release during dredging, dredging technology, habitat and river restoration, wetlands protection, cleanup standards, disposal.
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Housatonic River, MA - General Electric Pittsfield Site

Purpose: Cleanup RCRA Lead: PRP -- General Electric, New England District	Contaminant: PCBs Vol Dredged Material: 15,000 cu yd plus in-situ capping
USACE Role: Technical review and oversight for Upper half mile and Silver Lake.
Technical Issues: Source control, groundwater modeling, groudwater cleanup, dredging technology, subaqueous cap design, river restoration, treatment and disposal.
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Housatonic River, MA - General Electric Pittsfield Site

Purpose: Cleanup RCRA Lead: USEPA Region 1	Contaminant: PCBs
USACE Role: Technical review and oversight for Upper Reach Lower River.
Technical Issues: Dredging technology, subaqueous cap design, river restoration, treatment and disposal.
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New Bedford Harbor, MA

Purpose: Cleanup CERCLA Lead: USEPA Region 1, New England District	Contaminant: PCBs, heavy metals Vol Dredged Material: 500,000 cu yd
USACE Role: Full Engineering Feasability Study including field demonstration of dredging equipment, contaminant pathway testing and evaluations, disposal facility design requirements.
Technical Issues: High PCB concentrations, contaminant transport and release during dredging, dredging efficiency, water treatment, volatile emissions, contaminant releases for upland and nearshore confined disposal facilities and contained aquatic disposal sites.
Products: Technical Report EL-88-15 Vols. 1-12
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McAllister Landfill Site, RI

Purpose: Cleanup CERCLA Lead: U.S. Navy	Contaminant: PAHs, PCBs, metals
USACE Role: Technical review of feasibility study.
Technical Issues: Debris from landfill in Narragansett Bay makes dredging difficult to implement, regulatory agencies oppose capping--habitat loss, RCRA disposal issue based on derived from rule although relatively low contaminant concentrations, RCRA issue escalates disposal costs.
Cleanup Approach: RCRA.
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Grasse River, NY - Aloca Site

Purpose: Cleanup CERCLA Lead: PRP--Alcoa	Contaminant: PCBs
USACE Role: Technical review and construction oversight.
Technical Issues: Contaminant release during dredging, dredging technology, PRP want to cap rather than dredge.
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New York Bight Mud Dump Reference Sites

Purpose: Navigation Lead: New York District	Contaminant: PCBs, dioxins, chlorinated HCs, metals, other priority pollutants
USACE Role: Characterization of reference site contamination status for Green Book regulatory evaluations
Technical Issues: Biota/sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs) for comprehensive list of sediment contaminants.
Products: 1994 Report to New York District
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New York Harbor, NY/NJ Dredged Material Management Plan

Purpose: Navigation Lead: USACE New York District	Contaminant: Dioxins, organics, metals Vol Dredged Material: 5,000,000 cu yd per yr
USACE Role: Contaminant pathway testing, site selection studies, GIS development, modeling, design study for contained aquatic disposal.
Technical Issues: Select and design alternate disposal facilities in lieu of open water disposal.
Products: Reports in preparation
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New York Harbor, NY/NJ

Purpose: Navigation Lead: USEPA Region 2	Contaminant: Dioxins, organics, metals Vol Dredged Material: 1,000+ cu yd pilot demonstrations
USACE Role: Sediment Decontamination Demonstration Program.
Technical Issues: Evaluate technologies for NY/NJ Harbor sediments, cost effectiveness, implementability, regulatory approval of thermal process.
Products: Miscellaneous Paper EL-94-1
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Yorktown Naval Weapons Station, Cheatham Annex, and Little Creek, VA

Purpose: Navigation Lead: U.S. Navy LANTDIV	Contaminant: Metals, PCBs Vol Dredged Material: Periodic Maintenance
USACE Role: Contaminant pathway testing and evaluations, formulation of alternatives, management plan development.
Technical Issues: Long term capacity for contaminated dredged material, disposal site selection, design requirements, contaminant releases, beneficial use applications.
Products: Miscellaneous Paper EL-90-8, Miscellaneous Paper EL-93-1
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Commencment Bay Superfund

Purpose: Cleanup CERCLA Lead: EPA Region 10, Seattle District	Contaminant: Metals, PAHs, PCBs Vol Dredged Material: Multiple Operable Units
USACE Role: Development of a technical decisionmaking framework for contaminant pathways.
Technical Issues: Largest Superfund site in the U.S., contaminant releases for nearshore and upland confined disposal facilities and subaqueous capped sites.
Products: Miscellaneous Paper D-91-1. View on-line or download part1.exe and part2.exe.
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Everett Homeport

Purpose: Navigation Lead: U.S. Navy WESDIV, Seattle District	Contaminant: Metals, PCBs Vol Dredged Material: 3,300,000 cy
USACE Role: Contaminant pathway testing and evaluations, formulation of alternatives, disposal facility design requirements.
Technical Issues: Modeling for capping options, containment releases for dredging resuspension, upland and nearshore confined disposal facilities and subaqueous capped sites.
Products: Technical Report EL-89-1. View on-line or download part1.exe and part2.exe.
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Hylebos Waterway, WA - Occidental Chemical Site

Purpose: Cleanup CERCLA Lead: PRP--Occidental	Contaminant: VOCs, PAHs
USACE Role: Technical review of feasibility study.
Technical Issues: Contaminant release during dredging, source control, mixing zones, contaminant transport.
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Puget Sound Mulit-User Disposal Site (MUDS)

Purpose: Cleanup and Navigation Lead: State WA and USACE Seattle District	Contaminant: Metals, organics Vol Dredged Material: 500,000 cu yd per yr
USACE Role: Identification and Conceptual Designs for Disposal Options.
Technical Issues: Design of a mixed material confined disposal option for navigation dredged material and sediment cleanup, diked disposal and subaqueous confined.
Products: ERDC TR-00-3
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Thea Foss Waterway, WA

Purpose: Cleanup CERCLA Lead: PRP	Contaminant: PAHs, metals Vol Dredged Material: 400,000 cu yd
USACE Role: Technical review of feasibility study.
Technical Issues: Disposal site design, contaminant transport.
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Milwaukee Harbor, WI

Purpose: Navigation Lead: USACE Detroit District	Contaminant: PAHs
USACE Role: CDF management.
Technical Issues: Experimenting with techniques to accelerate biodegradation of organic contaminants, use treated dredged material beneficially, reclaim CDF capacity.
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Sheboygan Harbor, WI

Purpose: Navigation Lead: Detroit District	Contaminant: PCBs
USACE Role: Contaminant bioavailability to freshwater fish and mollusks.
Technical Issues: Influence of winter and summer extremes of water temperature on bioaccumulation of PCBs from dredged channel sediments.
Products: Internal Working Document D-85-1473
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Updated October 31, 2000