Beneficial Uses
of Dredged Materials
Fact Sheet: Project Partners and Decision
Makers
Between 200 and 300 hundred million cubic yards of material are dredged annually from U.S. ports,
harbors, and waterways to maintain and improve the nation's navigation system for commerce, national
defense, and recreation. Disposal of this material is managed and conducted by federal, state, and local
governments; private entities; and semi-private entities, such as port authorities. Cooperation among these
groups strengthens the possibility that suitable materials will be used beneficially and not disposed as waste.
Partners in Beneficial Use
Dredged material can serve a wide variety of useful purposes, from restoring wetlands and replenishing
beaches diminished by erosion to being included as a component of agricultural and construction materials. A
successful beneficial use project requires cooperation among government agencies and private organizations.
Beneficial Use Groups
There are several questions that can be asked by dredgers, or those in need of dredged material, as first
steps in a successful beneficial use project. Who is managing dredged material in their region? Is there a
"beneficial use group," local planning group, regional dredging team, or equivalent group operating? These
questions may be answered by calling the regional Division and/or District office of the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers (USAGE) or the state department of natural resources. In several parts of the country — Puget
Sound, San Francisco, and the Chesapeake and Galveston Bays —federal and state agencies and public
interest organizations have formed beneficial use groups that provide information about dredging policy,
upcoming dredging projects, and users of dredged materials.
Agencies and organizations involved in dredging and beneficial use projects can be divided into three categories:
Dredging Organizations, Users of Dredged Material for Beneficial Purposes, and Beneficial Use Facilitators and
Decision Makers.
Dredging Organizations
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. USAGE has long been the most active dredging organization in the
United States and is also responsible for issuing permits for dredged material disposal after review by state
and federal regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Port Authorities. Local and state port authorities or port associations may sponsor projects as both dredgers
and managers of dredged materials.
U.S. Navy. The U.S. Navy's dredging operations, which are permitted by USAGE, are potential sources of
material for beneficial uses.
Marinas and Other Private Dredgers. Marinas and some private industrial companies face the continuing
need to dredge privately owned waterways. While these projects are often small compared to others, the
cumulative effect of partnering with marinas and private dredgers may be large when projects are integrated
into a regional plan or project.
Users of Dredged Material for Beneficial Purposes
Private Commercial and Environmental Organizations. These organizations use or support the use of
dredged material for many purposes and, therefore, may be potential project partners, particularly of small-
to medium-sized projects. For example, private citizens and conservation organizations around the United
States own island habitats created from dredged materials.
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Beneficial Uses of Dredged Materials October 2007
Fact Sheet: Project Partners and Decision Makers
Local and State Parks. Creating or maintaining sites for recreation, such as through beach nourishment or
other practices, is a common beneficial use.
State Highway Departments. Dredged materials may be used for road construction, maintenance, and
sanding of roads during winter months.
Solid Waste Management Agencies. Dredged material can be used as daily, interim, or permanent cover
material, allowing location of sanitary landfills at sites previously considered unsuitable due to lack or high
cost of soil cover.
State Nonregnlatory Agencies. Organizations such as the California Coastal Conservancy have played a
pivotal role in linking dredging activities with potential beneficial uses such as restoration of tidal lands.
Beneficial Use Facilitators and Decision Makers
National Dredging Team, Regional Dredging Teams, Local Planning Groups. The National Dredging
Team (NOT), Regional Dredging Teams, and Local Planning Groups are working to promote national and
regional consistency on dredging issues and providing a mechanism for information exchange and planning
among federal, state, and local agencies, and stakeholders. For information on the NOT, please visit
www. epa.gov/OWOW/oceans/ndt.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Federal statues give EPA an oversight responsibility to ensure that
dredged material excavated from the nation's waters is disposed of in compliance with the Clean Water Act
Section 404(b)(l) guidelines (where applicable). To achieve that goal, EPA provides technical advice, as well
as environmental review. Proposed permits and USAGE dredging projects for ocean dumping of dredged
material are subject to EPA review and concurrence. EPA may participate in beneficial use projects. EPA also
has contributed funding to some projects.
Other Federal Natural Resource Management Agencies. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) are
often involved in beneficial use projects. The USFWS's mission is to work with others to conserve, protect,
and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.
NOAA Fisheries' charge is similar, but with an emphasis on marine resources. These agencies often play
an important role in choosing a beneficial use site and identifying appropriate uses on a programmatic and
case-by-case basis. They may also participate in a sponsorship role when the dredging project creates new
environmental resources.
State Environmental and Natural Resource Agencies. These agencies participate in beneficial use projects
both as regulators and indirect sponsors. They take an important role in project planning, often providing
technical guidance and using their wide knowledge of dredging activities and potential beneficial uses in
their states to encourage and facilitate beneficial use projects.
Coastal Zone Review Agencies. In accordance with the Coastal Zone Management Act, sponsors of beneficial
use projects in the coastal zone need to coordinate with state coastal zone review agencies and be consistent
to the maximum extent practicable with the enforceable policies of approved state management programs.
Native American Tribes. Native American Tribes are frequent participants in beneficial use project
planning and implementation. Native American interests can vary from economic development/commercial
interests associated with ports to the preservation and restoration of fish and bird habitat to protecting
historic properties and cultural resources.
Early Cooperation Leads to Success
Identify and engage all potentially participating agencies and organizations in project planning as early
as possible. Project proponents can follow regulatory requirements back to the responsible agencies to
help identify some necessary participants. Determining likely economic and environmental interests will
also help identify other organizations that should be involved in beneficial use projects. Collaboration
fosters success. Regarding these agencies and organizations as partners with compatible goals will lead to
environmentally sound and cost-effective beneficial use of dredged material.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA842-F-07-001D
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers October 2007
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