Posted on December 2, 2024
Approximately 1 million cubic yards of sediment must be dredged out of the channel every year to maintain safe navigation to and from their home port at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.
That number is estimated to double by 2050 due to sea level rise, Navy officials said. The surrounding marsh habitat has already lost approximately 770 acres since 1932 and is predicted to lose another 500 acres by 2050.
A stakeholder group recently reviewed engineering and scientific analyses of historic, current and future conditions to discuss possible solutions for the Kings Bay region.
The dredging mission at Kings Bay is essential to supporting the Navy’s nuclear deterrence mission.
Currently, dredged sediments are placed into upland confined disposal sites known as dredge material management areas. With an estimated of 11 million cubic yards of capacity remaining, beneficial use of the dredged material can provide multiple benefits when compared to taking the material to offshore disposal sites once the dredged material sites are at capacity, Navy officials said.
Work was recently conducted on behalf of the Navy and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Atlantic Division’s Regional Sediment Management Center of Expertise. The analyses included hydrodynamic and sediment transport modeling of shoaling reduction alternatives, as well as historic, current, and future marsh assessments of the surrounding region.
Initial study results of using dredged material to beneficially restore marsh and reinstate historic hydrologic conditions demonstrated a potential shoaling reduction of up to 75%, according to the report.
Additional stakeholder engagements are planned to inform the Navy’s Beneficial Use of Dredged Material Strategic Implementation Plan, scheduled for completion at the end of 2025.
For more information go to sad.usace.army.mil/RSM-RCX/ or contact Laurel.p.reichold@usace.army. mil.
