Posted on September 4, 2026
A new Virginia mapping tool could help connect dredged sediment with wetland restoration projects as Hampton Roads faces rising seas and shoreline erosion.
Hampton Roads depends on dredging to keep its waterways open for ships, boats, and commerce. However, once that sediment is removed, communities face another question: What should be done with it?
A new online mapping tool is designed to help answer that question by connecting dredged material with places where sediment could potentially be used to restore or strengthen wetlands.
The Virginia Beneficial Use of Dredged Material tool, launched by the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission and Elizabeth River Project, acts as a matchmaking resource between dredging projects and potential restoration sites.
The interactive map allows users to identify potential locations where dredged material may be available and places where additional sediment could be useful for restoration. The tool is intended for local governments, property owners, environmental groups, engineers, dredging contractors, and other potential project partners.
The goal is to make it easier to identify opportunities earlier in the planning process.
“Here in Virginia, a large volume of dredge material is being produced, and it’s challenging to dispose of it, and it’s challenging to beneficially reuse it on restoration projects,” said Ella DiPetto, lead scientist with the Elizabeth River Project.
Why wetlands need sediment
Dredging removes sediment from waterways for navigation, but wetlands naturally depend on sediment to maintain their elevation.
That becomes increasingly important as sea levels rise and shorelines erode.
DiPetto said wetlands face a variety of threats, including what she described as “drowning in place” as water levels rise.
“When you dredge sediments for navigation channels, you’re taking that sediment out of the waterways so it can’t be used to naturally reform and rebuild these marshes,” she said.
One potential solution is placing suitable dredged material back into wetlands or other restoration sites.
That can include creating new wetlands or adding sediment to existing marshes to help them maintain their elevation.
“So, placing material to create new wetlands but also to restore existing wetlands is one of the major ways that we can enhance the resilience of our marshes,” DiPetto said.
A 2025 technical framework developed for the Elizabeth River Project by Anchor QEA outlines the use of techniques such as thin-layer placement, in which suitable sediment is strategically placed to raise wetland elevations while maintaining habitat and vegetation.
However, not every pile of dredged material can simply be moved to the nearest marsh.
Sediment quality, site conditions, regulations, and the goals of a particular restoration project all have to be evaluated before a potential match can move forward.
The tool is designed to help make those connections.
The interactive map brings information about potential dredging and sediment-placement locations together in one place.
Users can either explore potential project sites or add information about a dredging project or restoration site.
KC Filippino, a senior water resources planner with the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, said that visibility could help communities take the next step from identifying a potential project to finding partners and funding.
“Being able to see on a map, hey, I have a potential project, but I don’t have the material, or I know that I need to dredge these areas in my locality, but I don’t know what to do with the material,” Filippino said.
“Being able to visualize that and talk to funders, talk to state agencies, being able to present that to those that are regulating and making these decisions, that’s huge.”
The HRPDC is hosting the tool because of its relationship with the region’s local governments.
Joe Rieger, coastal environmental climate specialist with Anchor QEA, helped develop the tool. He said HRPDC was a natural partner because localities are often the ones dealing directly with dredging needs.
“When we were looking for a host, Hampton Roads Planning District Commission was a perfect partner to work with because they work with the localities,” Rieger said.
He said the tool can help cities identify dredging projects and then look for potential places where that material could be used to help wetlands keep pace with sea-level rise.
Timing can be one of the biggest challenges
Finding a potential match on a map is only the beginning.
The timing of when sediment becomes available has to line up with when a restoration project is ready to receive it. Permitting, funding, engineering and other logistical issues can also add significant time.
Ben McFarlane, HRPDC’s chief resilience officer, said that timing mismatch has historically been one of the challenges.
“One of the biggest issues, the challenges with matching those two users up is that the time doesn’t often work out,” McFarlane said.
He also pointed to permitting costs and the amount of time it can take to get a dredged-material placement project approved.
The new tool, he said, is intended to help people plan farther ahead.
“Having the material, this tool set up, will allow people to understand when the material is going to be dredged, and so we can do a better job of planning ahead of time for when that material, where we can potentially use that material throughout Hampton Roads,” McFarlane said.
The HRPDC says the tool is intended to support early project screening, rather than automatically approve a restoration project. Each potential match still requires additional evaluation before it can move forward.
Virginia is also moving toward more beneficial use
The tool comes as Virginia is placing greater emphasis on finding beneficial uses for suitable dredged material.
Legislation passed in 2026 defines beneficial use to include restoration of underwater grasses and islands, stabilization of eroding shorelines, creation or restoration of wetlands, and creation or restoration of fish and shellfish habitat.
Beginning December 1, 2027, Virginia law establishes a policy of promoting beneficial use of dredged material whenever feasible. The Marine Resources Commission will be required to require beneficial use for permits involving dredged material unless the approach is deemed unsuitable under criteria developed by the commission.
The law also gives priority consideration to beaches and projects consistent with beneficial use as potential destinations for dredged material that is determined to be suitable.
That means tools that can help identify potential projects could become increasingly useful as localities and state agencies plan future dredging and restoration work.
The goal: more projects, not just more dots on a map
Rieger said the stakes are long-term.
“Over the next 50 years, we’re going to lose a significant amount of our marshes across the state,” he said. “And so, this is one technique that can be used to help save our marshes.”
The HRPDC and Elizabeth River Project say the map is intended to grow as more localities, project managers and other partners contribute potential projects.
The tool was developed through an initiative led by the Elizabeth River Project and Anchor QEA, with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Coastal Zone Management Program and HRPDC providing review and feedback. The project was supported by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Ultimately, the people behind the project say its success will depend on whether the information on the map turns into actual restoration projects.
For Hampton Roads, that could mean changing the way communities think about dredged sediment, not simply as something that has to be removed and disposed of, but as a potential resource for helping vulnerable wetlands and shorelines.
The Virginia Beneficial Use of Dredged Material map is available online, where users can explore existing information or submit potential dredging and sediment-placement projects.
