WEDA Environmental Excellence Awards: Winners Announced

WEDA’s Chair of the Environmental Commission, Craig Vogt, recently announced the 2013 winners of the WEDA Environmental Excellence Awards at the organization’s annual conference held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The WEDA Environmental Excellence Awards are given in two categories: navigation dredging and environmental dredging.

For navigation dredging:

– The WEDA Environmental Excellence Award for navigation dredging was given to the Deer Island Restoration Project near Mobile, Alabama.

– The WEDA Silver Environmental Excellence Award was given to two projects:

o Port of Long Beach, California, Middle Harbor Redevelopment Project,

o Integration of Traditional Navigation Projects with Shore Protection Projects for Beneficial Uses.

For environmental dredging:

– The Award for environmental dredging was given to Environmental Dredging and Aquatic Enhancement of Lake Beauclair, Lake County, Florida.

– The Silver Award was given to the River Raisin Area of Concern Restoration Project in Monroe, Michigan.

President & Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ram Mohan, noted that “the competition was significant and each of the projects was top notch, which made selection difficult, but clearly a testament to the quality of dredging projects being accomplished throughout the United States.”

WEDA Vice President, Marcel Hermans, said that “the success of these projects in addressing multiple dredging and restoration objectives was outstanding. These projects took on new challenges and are a tribute to the quality of engineering and innovation demonstrated by the dredging community.”

Navigation Dredging

Deer Island Restoration Project—2013 Winner of WEDA Environmental Excellence Award for Navigation Dredging

For the successful Deer Island Restoration Project that created 1 million cubic yards of dredged material beneficial use capacity, hydraulically dredged nearly two million cubic yards to repair the west end breach and restoration of the southern shoreline, and planted over 300,00 plants. Approximately 215 acres of new habitat were created for terrestrial and aquatic species.

Providing placement capacity for dredged material from both the Biloxi Lateral and East Access Navigation Channels in the 100-acre southern lagoon, the project also benefits several life history stages of migratory and resident avian species and provides nursery habitat for several fish species, while simultaneously providing recreational opportunities for people.

The outstanding project meets the vision for a resilient coast including consideration of the people, the economy, the environment, and the vast heritage of the coast.

Port of Long Beach Middle Harbor Redevelopment—Silver Award for Navigation Dredging

For the successful comprehensive Middle Harbor Sediment Management Plan and Project that includes construction of approximately 65 acres of new land for a marine container terminal, requiring approximately 2.5 million cubic yards of fill material—dredged sediments.

Approved by the Contaminated Sediments Task Force, the Plan detailed the logistical, technical, and legal requirements for acceptance of fill material from dredged material from no less than 11 individual projects along the southern California coast. The total volume of third party contaminated dredged material placed in Middle Harbor is nearly 1 million cubic yards.

The Middle Harbor Fill Site was successful in providing a greater than 90% beneficial reuse rate for all dredged material produced in the Los Angeles and Orange County region for the past 2 years.

Integration of Traditional Navigation projects with Shore Protection Projects for Beneficial Uses—Silver Award for Navigation Dredging

For the successful application of an integrated approach that maximizes placement of beach material from federal navigation channels. This approach places beach compatible material from navigation channel dredging onto the surrounding down drift beaches, and uses the navigation channels as dedicated borrow sources for Shore Protection Projects in the State of Florida.

This allows the Shore Protection Projects a closer and more cost-effective borrow source than traditional sources, while at the same time clearing the navigation channels beyond authorized navigation depths and reducing future maintenance cycles. To date, nearly $100 million has been saved for navigation and Shore Protection Projects.

Led by the Jacksonville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Team is recognized for its innovative and cost-saving approach to beneficial use of dredged material and beach nourishment projects.

Environmental Dredging

Environmental Dredging and Aquatic Enhancement of Lake Beauclair, Lake County, Florida–2013 Winner of WEDA Environmental Excellence Award for Environmental Dredging

For the successful water quality and habitat restoration project in Lake Beauclair and four residential canals along the Apopka-Beauclair Canal by hydraulically dredging over 1,300,000 cubic yards of nutrient-rich, fine-grained, organic “muck” sediments.

The project significantly benefited fisheries and navigation, contributed toward better water quality in one of Florida’s largest lakes, increased wetland acreage to offset some of the historic ecosystem losses in the region, and used innovative treatment processes for return waters.

The project is an outstanding model for multi-stakeholder collaboration, technical innovation, and waterway revitalization.

River Raisin Area of Concern Project, Monroe, Michigan–Silver Award for Environmental Dredging

For the successful remediation project in the River Raisin in Monroe, Michigan, that innovatively addressed contaminated sediments and created capacity in a Corps of Engineers confined disposal facility for navigation dredging. The project dredged and removed 71,000 cubic yards of non-TSCA sediments, 2,500 of TSCA sediments, and placed a sand cover over 7.7 acres.

A unique challenge was the finding of a hot spot of 1.4 acres of elevated PCBs, which were capped on an interim basis.

Approximately, 101,000 cubic yards of sediments were excavated from the existing CDF to offset the placement volume from this project. The excavated CDF materials were trucked and stockpiled at the Ford Motor Company facility near the river, to be used for restoration of their former manufacturing plant.

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Press Release, November 14, 2013