Transportation Research Board Special Report 262
Subscriber Category
I planning, administration, and environment
IX marine transportation
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Copyright 2002 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.
This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to the procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
This study was sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A process for setting, managing, and monitoring environmental windows for dredging projects / Committee for Environmental Windows for Dredging Projects.
p. cm.—(Transportation Research Board Special report ; 262)
ISBN 0-3-9-07244-1
1. Dredging—Environmental aspects. 2. Dredging spoil—Management. I. National Research Council (U.S.). Committee for Environmental Windows for Dredging Projects. II. National Research Council (U.S.). Transportation Research Board. III. Special report (National Research Council (U.S.). Transportation Research Board) ; 262.
TC187 .P767 2002 2001059687
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Committee for Environmental Windows for Dredging Projects
Committee
JERRY SCHUBEL, Chair,
New England Aquarium, Boston, Massachusetts
HENRY J. BOKUNIEWICZ,
State University of New York at Stony Brook
PETER F. BONTADELLI, JR.,
PFB Associates, Sacramento, California
ROBERT J. DIAZ,
Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point
MARCELO H. GARCIA,
University of Illinois at Urbana—Champaign
RAM K. MOHAN,
Blasland, Bouck, & Lee, Inc., Annapolis, Maryland
DENISE J. REED,
University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana
SUSAN-MARIE STEDMAN,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland
NILS E. STOLPE,
Garden State Seafood Association, Doylestown, Pennsylvania
JOHN B. TORGAN,
Save the Bay, Providence, Rhode Island
THOMASH. WAKEMANIII,
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New York
MICHAEL P. WEINSTEIN,
New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium, Fort Hancock
Staff
KRIS A. HOELLEN, Study Director,
Transportation Research Board
SUSAN ROBERTS, Senior Program Officer,
Ocean Studies Board
Preface
Environmental windows are those periods of the year when dredging and disposal activities may be carried out because regulators have determined that the adverse impacts associated with dredging and disposal can be reduced below critical thresholds during these periods. Environmental windows, therefore, are used as a management tool for reducing the potentially harmful impacts of dredging activities on aquatic resources. The first environmental windows were established more than 30 years ago and, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), are applied today to more than 80 percent of all federal dredging projects. Given the cumulative restrictions on dredging operations resulting from the application of environmental windows, USACE requested that the National Research Council’s Transportation Research Board (TRB)— Marine Board conduct a workshop to explore the decision-making process used to establish environmental windows, as well as the consistency of the windows-setting process. The statement of task for the workshop is included in Chapter 1.
The National Research Council established the Committee for the Workshop on Environmental Windows for Dredging Projects to design, oversee, and interpret the results of the workshop. Formed in June 2000, the committee comprised 12 members representing ports, dredging contractors, benthic and wetland ecologists, commercial fisheries experts, sedimentologists, ichthyologists, environmentalists, and state and federal regulatory agencies. During the course of a 1-year period, the committee met three times—the first to plan the workshop, the second to review the workshop results, and the third to prepare the committee’s findings and recommendations presented in this report. Members of the committee also participated in the Sea Grant Conference on Dredged Material Management: Options and Environmental Considerations and organized and participated in a half-day session at the 2001 National Dredging Team Conference.
The committee used information obtained through case studies and outreach efforts conducted in preparation for the workshop to develop a draft template for a process for setting, managing, and monitoring environmental windows. This
draft template was presented during the workshop, held March 19–20, 2001. Participants at the workshop represented a cross-section of stakeholders involved in the windows-setting process, including federal and state government officials, port officials, representatives from environmental interest groups, dredging contractors, and academic experts from a variety of relevant fields. A listing of the workshop participants is provided in Appendix C. The draft template was reviewed and refined throughout the course of the workshop, and a summary of the workshop proceedings including the refined template was distributed to participants expressing a willingness to review and comment on its accuracy.
The committee wishes to acknowledge the contributions of many individuals and organizations to the development of this report. Kris A. Hoellen managed the study and drafted the report under the guidance of the committee and the supervision of Stephen R. Godwin, Director of TRB’s Studies and Information Services Division. Susan Roberts provided liaison support from the Ocean Studies Board, Thomas Bigford served as liaison from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Douglas Clarke served as liaison and project sponsor from USACE; all three provided background materials and valuable insights to the committee.
The committee also wishes to thank the organizers of the National Dredging Team Conference and the Sea Grant Conference on Dredged Material Management: Options and Environmental Considerations for allocating space and time for the committee’s outreach efforts. In addition, the committee would like to acknowledge personnel from USACE and NOAA who developed case studies that documented their experiences with environmental windows.
The workshop benefited greatly from the contributions of a reaction panel whose members provided much-needed advice and guidance during critical points in the proceedings. Panel members were Suzanne Schwartz (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), Thomas Bigford (NOAA), Joseph Wilson (USACE), and Robert Van Dolah (South Carolina Department of Natural Resources). Finally, the committee is indebted to all those who participated in the workshop for both their time and continued interest.
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.
The committee thanks the following individuals for their review of this report: Steven Goldbeck, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission; H. Thomas Kornegay, Port of Houston Authority; Charles A. Simenstad, University of Washington; and Ancil Taylor, Bean Stuyvesant LLC. Although these reviewers provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the findings and conclusions, nor did they see the final draft before its release.
The review of this report was overseen by Lester A. Hoel, University of Virginia. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.
Suzanne Schneider, Assistant Executive Director of TRB, managed the report review process. The report was edited and prepared for publication under the supervision of Nancy Ackerman, Director of Reports and Editorial Services. Rona Briere edited the report. Special thanks go to Frances Holland for assistance with meeting arrangements and to Alisa Decatur for production of the final report.