BAYSHORE REGIONAL DREDGED MATERIAL MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR RARITAN AND SANDY HOOK BAYS IN MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY

January 2006 

Statement Of Problem

Nearshore regions of Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook Bay do not have naturally deep channels; therefore navigation channels and marinas must be periodically dredged to maintain authorized depths for recreational and commercial boating activities.  Marine activities in six out of the seven municipalities located along the Bayshore region of Monmouth County, NJ are dependent upon regular dredging of navigational channels. Each municipality or marina deals with the management of dredging on an individual basis, resulting in costly, onerous, competitive activities which are further exacerbated by confusion over regulatory rules.  Local officials are often confused about dredging requirements and restrictions.  A majority of municipalities and small marinas now discharge their dredged material inside a Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) site. Existing CDF sites are getting filled to capacity and channels are badly silted in to necessitate additional dredging. Unplanned erosion from CDF sites damages nearby wetlands, degrades adjacent shellfish and seagrass beds, and collects again inside navigation channels to impede marine activities. Waterfront communities and marinas in the Bayshore region at the moment do not have a systematic method to better manage dredging activities or a course of action to deal with their dredged material. The project partners believe the system in place is poorly planned and is not sustainable.

Project Goal

The goal of the proposed project is to produce a long-term regional dredged material management plan (DMMP) for the Bayshore region of Monmouth County. The plan will cover the entire cycle from accumulation of bottom sediments to the ultimate disposal of dredged material. The project will be the first comprehensive region-wide look at the issue. Having a long-term dredged material management plan will assist waterfront communities and local marinas in the Bayshore region to improve and increase recreational and commercial boating needs, while still protecting and maintaining the value of coastal ecosystems. The DMMP will preserve the environment in tandem with providing for sustainable and secure dredging solutions and best management practices for marina operations, and improving education about the reuse of dredged material.

Research Plan

In brief, we are requesting funds to create a DMMP. A study will be conducted by project partners that involve inter-town cooperation to determine the current volume of maintenance dredging, storage capacity and operational and management issues. The plan will also identify environmentally sound dredged material alternative use options, provide potential costs for the different types of dredging as well as the different methods for disposal, and review and compile pertinent regulatory information (federal, state, local) related to dredged material management. The proposed project will provide local officials with a comprehensive plan to deal with this issue in their communities.

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