Beneficial Reuse of Dredged Material Support
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Why is this a San Francisco Bay Program Priority?
The natural movement of sediment through the San Francisco Bay is altered and diminished due to urban development in local watersheds and coastal baylands. In addition to decreased sediment supplies, existing tidal wetlands face significant loss from erosion due to sea level rise and storm surges. Sediment is a critical building block material for restoring degraded marshlands and fortifying remaining tidal wetland habitat.
One of the Bay’s most readily available sources of sediment for tidal wetland enhancement and restoration is from dredging by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). In fact, the USACE dredges roughly 2 million cubic yards of sediment annually, as part of its program to maintain access to marinas and navigation channels for shipping.
While dredged materials can be disposed of as waste at alternate in-Bay and ocean disposal sites, the San Francisco Bay program encourages partners such as USACE, State Coastal Conservancy, and the restoration community to beneficially reuse dredged sediment at wetland restoration projects in the Bay. Funding from the San Francisco Bay Program helps cover the difference in costs of placing dredged material directly at wetland restoration sites instead of disposal sites and is identifying strategies to improve the permitting process for dredged material placement.