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https://hdl.handle.net/11681/7639| Title: | Demonstration project on dredging and marsh development using a flexible-discharge dustpan dredge at head of passes/southwest pass Mississippi River |
| Authors: | OA Systems Corporation United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. New Orleans District. Louisiana. Department of Natural Resources Welp, Timothy L. Clausner, James E. Thompson, Doug. Mujica, Joaquin. Boddie, George F. (George Frederick), 1900- |
| Keywords: | Beneficial uses Dredged material placement Dustpan dredge Flexible pipeline Floating pipe Hydraulic pipeline dredge Marsh restoration |
| Publisher: | Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (U.S) Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.) |
| Series/Report no.: | Technical Report (Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.)) ; no. ERDC/CHL TR-04-3 |
| Abstract: | The navigation channel of the Mississippi River in the vicinity of the Head of Passes (HOP) downstream of New Orleans is an area where significant dynamic shoaling occurs. During the traditional high-water period in the spring, the shoaling in this area occurs rapidly and can represent a hazard to deep-draft vessel traffic. The shoaling must be removed rapidly to maintain adequate channel depth. Currently, dredging of the channel at HOP is conducted using hopper dredges, primarily due to their mobility. Hydraulic dredges with conventional spudding systems and floating discharge pipelines, such as cutterhead dredges, are considered a safety hazard in this area due to their inability to rapidly (and consistently) move out of the way of vessel traffic. Unfortunately, hopper dredges simply move the dredged material out of the channel and redeposit it in open-water disposal sites at the heads of Pass A Loutre and South Pass. There are two disadvantages to this technique. First, the disposal sites periodically become so filled with material that the hoppers cannot bottom dump dredged material at the sites. The dredged material must be handled again at additional cost to provide sites for hopper disposal. Secondly, there is no beneficial use of the dredged material. Hopper dredges can use direct pump-out to place material beneficially in adjacent shallow open-water areas for marsh restoration, but this is considered costly and has never been done before at the HOP. This report presents the demonstration results of the dustpan dredge Beachbuilder using a flexible discharge at the Head of Passes/Southwest Pass on the Mississippi River in June 2002. Dustpan dredges equipped with a flexible-discharge floating hose and sufficient pumping capacity potentially have the mobility required for safe passage of vessel traffic and can economically pump dredged material the distances required for placement in a beneficial use scenario such as marsh construction. This report details and discusses the project activities, operational characteristics of the Beachbuilder, and feasibility of using a flexible-discharge dustpan dredge to augment the hydraulic dredging capabilities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Mississippi and other rivers. The goal of this report is to use the project results to identify potential opportunities for reducing overall costs for channel maintenance and increasing beneficial use of dredged materials during dredging Corps navigation projects. |
| Description: | Technical Report |
| Gov't Doc #: | ERDC/CHL TR-04-3 |
| Rights: | Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/11681/7639 |
| Appears in Collections: | Technical Report Technical Report |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHL-TR-04-3.pdf | 3.62 MB | Adobe PDF |  View/Open |