Beneficial Uses of Dredged Material Along Coastal Mississippi” (Master Plan) Which Was Contracted by the U.S
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WBG053111143432NWO Executive Summary The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (DMR) has been working with federal, state and private partners for nearly a decade to promote the use of dredged material and concrete rubble for coastal land and habitat restoration. An important part of this effort was the development of the 2002 “Long-Term Comprehensive Master Plan for Beneficial Uses of Dredged Material Along Coastal Mississippi” (Master Plan) which was contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District (USACE). The 2002 Master Plan helped steer the early development of a beneficial use (BU) program at DMR. Following hurricane Katrina, the BU concept attracted additional public and agency attention which is now being enacted through a new Beneficial Users Group (BUG) that formed in 2008. Now meeting monthly at DMR, the BUG is co-chaired by USACE and includes representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS), Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Mississippi Secretary of State office, as well as staff from Senate and Congressional representatives. Local Ports and other private stakeholders are also encouraged to attend. One can never have “ One of the key actions of the BUG in 2010 was to write enough information for and have enacted new legislation that requires the BU making the “best” of dredge material when BU sites are available and the decision. However, in material is suitable. To help meet the intent of the law, the BUG and DMR have developed two BU sites: Deer most cases, adequate Island in Harrison County and Greenwood Island in information exists to Jackson County. make sound decisions ” Reviewing historic maps, it is estimated that as many as 10,000 acres of Mississippi’s coastal wetlands and islands have been lost since 1950. The Mississippi BU Program, in conjunction with the BUG, will continue working to ensure that our state’s valuable dredged materials are used to help restore and protect these critically important resources. This updated 2011 Master Plan is broken into sections to provide an overview of the existing sediment transport system in Mississippi, the laws and regulations that provide the permitting structure to be followed to establish beneficial use sites, options for dredging technologies, potential BU projects, and stakeholders. The goal of this updated Master Plan is to develop a comprehensive plan to identify areas within each coastal county where dredged material can be placed to help restore, nourish, and enhance the coastal marshes and wetlands of Mississippi. The areas identified should also be easily accessible to multiple user types to encourage beneficial use of dredged material. REVISED DRAFT MASTER PLAN_060111 III Contents Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................... iii Contents................................................................................................................................................ v 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 Goal and Approach ................................................................................................ 1-1 1.2 Organization of the Plan ........................................................................................ 1-1 1.3 Summary of the Issues ........................................................................................... 1-2 1.4 Stakeholder Meetings ............................................................................................ 1-2 2. Mississippi Sound Sediment System ............................................................................. 2-1 2.1 Background Information ....................................................................................... 2-1 2.2 Regional Littoral Drift Influences ......................................................................... 2-3 2.3 Watershed Influences ............................................................................................. 2-4 2.4 Navigation Influences ............................................................................................ 2-5 2.5 Hurricanes and Sea Level Rise ............................................................................. 2-7 2.5.1 Hurricanes .................................................................................................. 2-7 2.5.2 Historic Sea Level Rise .............................................................................. 2-7 2.5.3 USACE Sea Level Change Policy ............................................................ 2-7 2.5.4 Summary of Projections ............................................................................ 2-8 2.5.5 Subsidence .................................................................................................. 2-8 3. Regulatory Authorities, Agencies, and Stakeholders .................................................. 3-1 3.1 Federal Laws ........................................................................................................... 3-1 3.2 State Authorities ..................................................................................................... 3-3 3.3 Potential Funding Sources .................................................................................... 3-5 3.4 Stakeholders ............................................................................................................ 3-8 4. Permitting and Beneficial Use ......................................................................................... 4-1 4.1 Dredging and Dredge Disposal Permitting in Mississippi .............................. 4-1 4.2 Gulf Sturgeon .......................................................................................................... 4-3 4.3 Beneficial Use Permitting ...................................................................................... 4-5 4.3.1 Beneficial Use Site Identification and Development ............................ 4-5 4.3.2 Testing of Material .................................................................................... 4-6 4.3.3 Inland Testing Manual.............................................................................. 4-8 4.3.4 Ocean Disposal-Testing Manual ............................................................. 4-8 5. Priority Areas and BU Projects......................................................................................... 5-1 5.1 Project Types ........................................................................................................... 5-1 5.2 Hancock County ..................................................................................................... 5-2 5.2.1 General Characteristics ............................................................................. 5-2 5.2.2 Hancock County Coastal Preserves ........................................................ 5-3 5.2.3 Other Potential BU Sites ........................................................................... 5-4 5.3 Harrison County ..................................................................................................... 5-4 5.3.1 General Characteristics ............................................................................. 5-4 5.3.2 Harrison County Coastal Preserves ........................................................ 5-5 5.3.1 Public Use/Access Lands ......................................................................... 5-6 REVISED DRAFT MASTER PLAN_060111 V CONTENTS 5.3.2 Other Potential BU Sites ........................................................................... 5-7 5.4 Jackson County ....................................................................................................... 5-7 5.4.1 General Characteristics ............................................................................ 5-7 5.4.2 Jackson County Coastal Preserves.......................................................... 5-8 5.4.1 Public Use/Access Lands ...................................................................... 5-11 5.4.2 Other Potential BU Sites ......................................................................... 5-11 6. Dredging Methods, Containment Options, and Sources of Material ...................... 6-1 6.1 Dredging Technologies and Methods for Placement........................................ 6-1 6.1.1 Hopper........................................................................................................ 6-2 6.1.3 Thin Layer Disposal .................................................................................. 6-2 6.1.4 Water Injection Dredging ........................................................................ 6-2 6.1.5 Small Dredge ............................................................................................. 6-3 6.1.6 Spray Method ............................................................................................ 6-3 6.1.7 Punaise Dredge ......................................................................................... 6-3 6.1.8 Rainbow Discharge ................................................................................... 6-3 6.1.9 Spill Barge Placement ............................................................................... 6-4 6.1.10 Bottom Dumping