The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Mobile District, has fundamentally shifted its dredging operations. By moving away from ocean disposal and embracing “Beneficial Use” (BU) and Thin-Layer Placement (TLP), the Corps is keeping vital sediment within the bay system, restoring sediment-starved marshes, and optimizing maintenance costs.
Valerie Morrow, USACE Mobile District Dredge Material Program Manager, said that is exactly what the Mobile District is doing in Mobile Bay, restoring sediment to sediment-starved marshes.
“The material dredged from the federal navigation channel is natural sediment,” Morrow said. “Sediment is a resource that should be managed intentionally. Thin-layer placement is an intentional placement practice that is a beneficial use of dredged material and is in alignment with the ‘Expanding Beneficial Use of Dredged Material in USACE’ memo dated August 28, 2023.”…