On-going Study

In May of 2003, the Detroit District coordinated with the Chicago District on their Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP) development at Michigan City Harbor, Indiana (Figure 1). The DMMP for Michigan City was being developed to identify specific measures necessary to manage the volume of sediment likely to be dredged over a 20-year period. By instilling the RSM philosophy in this process, both Detroit and Chicago Districts were able to identify local stakeholder issues and begin formulating plans that can address this project on a regional scale.

WHAT IS A DREDGE MATERIAL MANAGEMENT PLAN

In December, 2002, the Chicago District began work on a DMMP for the federal navigation channel in Michigan City, Indiana. DMMP's serve to identify specific measures necessary to manage the volume of sediment likely to be dredged over a given period, generally 20-years. The authority that governs DMMP development is primarily found in Section 404 of the Clean Water Act of 1972. It is the Corps of Engineers policy to accomplish the placement of dredged sediment associated with the construction or maintenance dredging of navigation projects in the least costly manner that is consistent with sound engineering practice and meeting all federal environmental standards.

The DMMP process has three steps

1. preliminary assessment
2. management plan study
3. implementation

A Preliminary Assessment is an initial report on a harbor project to determine whether continuing operations and maintenance of an overall project is warranted and to determine if there is a need for a DMMP study. The ability to continue to maintain the Federal project is based on placement site characteristics (capacity, distance from dredge area, etc.), economic justification, and environmental compliance. If it is deemed necessary to further investigate DMMP development, a management plan is prepared. This next step involves the development of a scope of work, a determination of economic, engineering, and environmental risks that are present, and investigation of beneficial uses for dredged sediment in accordance with regulations and existing policies. It is at this stage that a "Base Plan" is established. Generally, this is defined by cost. The costs associated with the operations and maintenance base plan for a navigation project are 100% federally funded and reimbursable from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. Costs of any management plan that falls outside of the base plan and addresses local or state needs or standards would not be covered through federal funding. Once the management plan is created, the DMMP is implemented