Posted on November 26, 2024
ST. MARYS, Ga. — Command Navy Region Southeast, Naval Submarine Base (NSB), Kings Bay, GA, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, hosted a stakeholder engagement with local, state and federal experts on November 14th, at Crooked River State Park, Ga. to discuss Beneficial Use of Dredged Material (BUDM) and explore implementation opportunities.
Approximately 1 million cubic yards (MCY) of sediment must be dredged out of the subbase channel every year to maintain safe navigation and is estimated to double by 2050 due to sea level rise. The surrounding marsh habitat has already lost approximately 770 acres since 1932 and is predicted to lose another 500 acres by 2050.
The stakeholder group reviewed engineering and scientific analyses of historic, current, and future conditions to discuss possible solutions for the NSB Kings Bay region.
The dredging mission at NSB 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 (DMMAs). With an estimated 11 MCY 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 DMMA sites are at capacity.
The recently conducted work, 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, was performed by contracted partners Taylor Engineering, Marstel-Day, LLC, and EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc.
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 utilizing dredged material to beneficially restore marsh and reinstate historic hydrologic conditions demonstrated a potential shoaling reduction of up to 75%.
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, please visit our website https://www.sad.usace.army.mil/RSM-RCX/ or contact Laurel.p.reichold@usace.army.mil
