Engineering challenges of dredged material disposal

THE U.S.ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS HAS BEEN CONCERNED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF NAVIGABLE WATERWAYS IN THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1824.IN FULFILLING ITS MISSION, THE CORPS HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ANNUAL DREDGING OF APPROX 380,000,000 CU YD (290,530,000M/SUP 3/) OF BOTTOM SEDIMENTS.INCREASING CONCERN HAS DEVELOPED OVER THE IMPACTS OF THE DISPOSAL OF THESE MATERIALS.THE U.S.ARMY ENGINEER WATERWAYS EXPERIMENT STATION IS CONDUCTING A NATIONWIDE RESEARCH PROGRAM TO DEVELOP ENVIRONMENTALLY COMPATIBLE, TECHNICALLY SATISFACTORY, AND ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE DISPOSAL ALTERNATIVES, INCLUDING CONSIDERATION OF DREDGED MATERIAL AS A MANAGEABLE RESOURCE.PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENTS ARE SUMMARIZED, AND PROGRAM PROGRESS WITH EMPHASIS ON ENGINEERING ASPECTS OF THE STUDY IS EXAMINED.(A.)