Barry W. Holliday
Published: 1978
Total Pages: 40
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Determination of the fate of dredged material placed on the bottom of an ocean, lake, estuary, or river is an environmental concern that requires consideration and adequate prediction in the planning of a dredging project, since various natural processes can alter the initial configuration of the deposit and subject the surrounding bottom to some level of environmental impact. In the selection process for a disposal site, consideration must be given to the eventual disposition of dredged material in order that adequate determination of the site capacity can be made. The four primary environments that may contain subaqueous dredged material deposits are oceans, estuaries, rivers, and lakes, with various energy-related zones within each environmental system. Each zone has a unique set of physical factors and sedimentological properties that will determine the potential fate of a dredged material deposit. Methodologies for monitoring the actual physical changes that occur at a disposal site have been adequately documented at representative environments of deposition. As more knowledge is gathered, a better understanding of the interaction of the physical processes and the fate of subaqueous deposits of dredged material will be established.