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Dredging and Waterways

The Problem

Background

Each year, an estimated 4,000 commercial ocean-going vessels move through the San Francisco Estuary carrying more than 75 million tons of cargo worth approximately $20 to $25 billion. These vessels depend on deepwater ports and shipping channels in the Bay and Delta, which must be dredged annually to maintain their navigability. Historically, dredged material from navigation channels was disposed of at various in-Bay disposal sites. In the 1980s, increasing concerns about the impact of dredging and dredged material disposal on the Bay's aquatic organisms, water quality, and other ecology resources, highlighted the need for improved management of and alternative disposal options for dredged material. More

Current Status:

• The total volume of materials dredged annually from channels, ports, and marinas in the Estuary has decreased from approximately 8 million cubic yards in 1993 to just over 4 million cy as of 2006. Few anticipated projects remain that involve large amounts of new dredging work.
• There is increasing demand; however, for dredging and deepening in smaller marinas around the Bay Area in order to accommodate deeper draft boats.
• In the next five years, there is a growing need to substantially increase the number of beneficial reuse opportunities for dredged materials.

Major Accomplishments:

• Implementation of the Long Term Management Strategy for the Placement of Dredged Material in the Bay.
• Implementation of projects with over 9 million cubic yards of material being reused.

Current Focus:

• Eliminate unnecessary dredging activities.
• Maximize the beneficial reuse of dredged material.
• Conduct environmentally sound dredging activities.
• Continue to develop and implement a comprehensive Sediment Management Strategy.
• Manage modification of waterways to avoid or offset the adverse impacts of dredging, flood control, channelization, and shoreline development and protection projects.

Current Activities:

Agencies are actively implementing the Long-Term Management Strategy (LTMS) for the Placement of Dredged Materials in the San Francisco Bay Region with a focus on increasing beneficial reuse of dredged materials. The LTMS was developed in the 1990s by Bay Area regulatory agencies, resource agencies, and numerous interested parties. It established a new management approach with the goal of reducing in-Bay disposal by encouraging beneficial reuse of dredged material whenever possible. In addition, the LTMS worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish the federally authorized Deep Ocean Disposal Site as another alternative to in-Bay disposal.

For a complete list of priority actions, click here.

For more information:

Dredging and Waterways Chapter, 2007 Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan