Technical Sessions

Technical Sessions (Engineering)

State of Engineering Practice
Session Coordinators: Bill Hanson, Jim McNally
Identify current changes/improvements to the practice resulting in higher efficiency, higher precision, enhanced excavation, minimizing environmental impacts, increased cost effectiveness and future needs.

Technological Applications to Enhance Effectiveness, Efficiency and Productivity
State of the U.S./International Dredging Industry
Small versus Large Projects

Dredging Contracting and Management Innovations
Session Coordinator: Greg Hartman, Walter Dinicola
Contracting improvements, less delay, broader bid response, precision in estimating, life cycle dredging and site management and other improvements to achieve higher efficiency and lower/relevant costs are necessary to improve the future industry.

Environmental Dredging (Remediation/Restoration) — Twenty Years of Trial and Error
Session Coordinators: Norman Francingues, Don Hayes, Mike Palermo
Environmental dredging dominates the remediation (cleanup) of aquatic superfund sites that often exceeds cost estimates and time constraints and results in huge quantities of very expensive regulated waste.

Safety
Session Coordinators: Tom Verna, Steve Frost
Modern construction technologies constantly include improved safety goals and management. Is the industry becoming complacent?

Current Engineering Dredging Research
Session Coordinators: John Childs, Bob Randall
Identify the state of the current research, document successes and develop future needs.
Examples may include: Flow-fields for cutterhead (spillage, ADBs) Silent inspector (dredge monitoring program) Control ferry (computer controlled); long distance pumping Spud carriage, Swinging ladder Draghead development, Hooded cutterhead Separation techniques on-board dredge/barge; Other "new things on the horizon"

Integrating Dredging and Dredged Material Reuse with Environmental Restoration
Session Coordinators: Mark Otten, John Lally
Although dredging and dredged material disposal can have negative impacts on the environment, there are opportunities to "make lemonade from lemons". This session will share ideas and success stories where the environment was enhanced by using dredging or dredged material to improve habitat in wetlands, marches, inter-tidal or sub-tidal areas.

Habitat enhancement through improved substrate and elevation change,
Improvement of water flow to enhance quality,
Construction of flow and sedimentation features to influence deposition and erosion for improvement of habitat, recreational use or navigation,
Improvements for recreation and public use,
Mitigation for potential impacts of climate change (i.e. rising sea level and increased flooding),
Impediments to implementation.

Working with Nature — International Initiative
Session Coordinators: Todd Bridges, Steve Garbaciak
Working with nature is an integrated process which involves working to identify and exploit win-win solutions which respect nature and are acceptable to both project proponents and environmental stakeholders.

Site Characterization and Survey
Session Coordinators: John Lally, Tom Wang
With the now widespread use of RTK-GPS and dredge positioning systems, digging accuracy and overall dredge performance have evolved significantly in the past decade. Are these technologies being used to their maximum potential, or, has the accuracy of input data from sediment sampling and survey not kept up? This session will provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of current and emerging sampling and survey technologies, best practices, and limitations that govern effective engineering design and dredging operations.

Sediment Resuspension / Residuals — Have We Learned Anything?
Session Coordinators: Don Hayes, Mike Palermo
For the past 40 years the resuspension of sediments due to dredging were and remain a vexing regulatory road block and often result in over-managed engineering and environmental impact controls. Although they are not new, residuals are of huge importance in Super Fund remediation locations. This session will discuss innovations in developing solutions.

Sustainable Sediment Management
Session Coordinator: David Moore, Wendell Mears
Comprehensive approach for addressing the long-term management/conservation of sediments within a watershed to maintain current (and future) beneficial uses while addressing regional environmental, economic and social concerns.

Dredged Material Management
Session Coordinators: Mike Palermo, Ram Mohan
Dredged material management for environmentally suitable or highly contaminated sediments has significantly evolved in the past 40 years. Precise aquatic placement to appropriate elevations, designer/reactive capping, precision dredging, treatment technologies and control of contaminant pathways form a group of leading technologies.

Ports/Navigation — Case Studies (Coastal/Inland)
Session Coordinators: Mark Travers, Tom Wang
Dredging for navigation and port development is now joined by other port activities to form a systems approach at "Green Port" management. Future approaches to dredging and port management will embrace the "Green" concept.
- Port, Harbor, and Channel Improvement Needs
- Lessons from Recent Navigation Project Capital Improvements
- Balancing environmental and economic considerations
- Environmental Management Systems
Dredged Material Management: Effective Dredging while Meeting Environmental Goals and Regulations: Challenges and Solutions — Case Studies
Session Coordinators: Craig Vogt, Steve Cappellino
Achieving a predictable and efficient permit process for dredged material projects while meeting environmental regulations is a challenge in which all stakeholders have a significant role. This session will explore the challenges of meeting environmental regulations in a timely manner while ensuring open and early dialogue among all stakeholders.
- Lessons learned in working with federal and state regulations
- Collaborative processes to solving concerns over dredging and the environment
- Emerging issues: TMDLs, EFH, and ESA. Successes and challenges.
- Successful outreach and education on the need for and the value of dredging
- Adaptive environmental management applied to beneficial use of dredged material