Hi all,

I had a conversation today with group of resource managers engaged in permitting a series of proposed dredging projects to remove massive mine tailings deposits on the beach and underwater in a great lake.

I was given the impression by these officials that crews working hydraulic dredges can remove the stamp sand without removing any of the underlying natural sand or sediment, which lead that manager to conclude that “no adverse effect” was a reasonable determination without requiring any survey. I find that conclusion hard to believe, but I am a terrestrial archaeologist with no expertise in this topic. It seems to me that the permitting process by the state DEQ and USACE should have at least required a survey and consideration of cultural resources. 

I may be mistaken about general practice in maritime compliance practices.

The sands to be removed are secondary eroded deposits moved by the longshore current and they overlay natural sands and gravels that have never been dredged before (i.e. not in a shipping channel).

Can anyone comment on this? I would appreciate any advice on publications, technical reports, and agency guidelines that specifically examine or guide decisions regarding hydraulic and other dredge processes.

I have been reading USACE reports found through Google Scholar and books, but the vast majority of these are decisions of no adverse effect because the APE has been periodically dredged in the past, and the proposed project in maintenance dredging. I hope my colleagues can help me sift through this more quickly.

Thanks for any advice- please reply off or on list, as you wish.

Thanks,
Tim Scarlett
Michigan Technological University
Houghton, Michigan

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