The USACE St. Paul District is nearing the completion of its dredging contract to place near 150,000 cubic yards of dredged material to the Buck Creek Placement Site.
The material was removed from the Mississippi River navigation channel at McMillian Island near Lock and Dam 10 in Guttenberg, Iowa.
The Corps worked with its partners and the landowner to create habitat at the placement site while also allowing the public to reuse the dredged material for a variety of opportunities to include general construction fill material and road maintenance.
Channel Maintenance
Sedimentation in the channel is caused by the normal cycle of silt movement, erosion from high water or heavy rains and changes in river currents.
To maintain the 9-foot navigation channel, material that settles in the channel area must be removed. Mechanical or hydraulic dredging are methods for the removal of that material.
This material is placed in designated areas along the river.
Some of these areas are beneficial use placement areas. Beneficial use of dredged material is the productive use of the material by the public or private sectors.
Examples of common beneficial uses of dredged material in the St. Paul District are upland habitat development, wetland creation, aquatic habitat enhancement, creation of areas for bird nesting, beach nourishment, winter road maintenance, levee repair and improvement, aggregate for concrete, lining fly ash pits, bank protection and general purpose fill.