The Bayshore Regional Watershed Council (BRWC) in partnership with those interested in the marine environment officially releases the Bayshore Regional Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP) for the Monmouth County Bayshore region.
The DMMP identifies beneficial uses of dredged material that will conserve financial resources, protect and enhance natural resources, and establish a sustainable process for dredging activities.Beneficial uses include bayside beach replenishment, wetland habitat enhancement, construction site use and flood control projects.Implementation of this plan will ultimately lead to improved access to the marine environment by addressing sedimentation and dredging issues in our marinas and navigation channels.
Many were involved in helping develop the DMMP any many will be involved in ensuring its implementation.Bayshore municipalities, MonmouthCounty, State agencies, marina owners/managers and the environmental community will play a critical role ensuring its implementation. Key recommendations in the plan include:
Beach Replenishment – Keansburg, Port Monmouth, Leonardo, Highlands and Sandy Hook are all experiencing sand deficits.In fact, Sandy Hook National Park Service has already identified a need for approximately 80,000 cubic yards along Sandy HookBay.Bay beach replenishment is necessary for flood control and important for recreation along our coastal communities.
Flood Control Projects - The planned Raritan Bay-Sandy Hook Bay Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction Plan presents an opportunity for the use of dredged material.For example, beach nourishment and flood control plans for OldBridge and Keansburg will require substantial volumes of sand.Levee protection in Middletown and Keansburg may present opportunities for geotextile tube use.Geotextile tubes can be filled with dredged material and used as foundation material for levee walls.While beach nourishment will require the use of sand, geotextile tubes can utilize fine grain materials such as silt and clay typically found in marine harbors.
Construction Site Use – Many construction sites need fill material for a variety of uses, such as road bed material, house elevation enhancements, retaining wall backfill and septic field amendments.Dredged material can and has been used for these purposes.In fact, a developer in Holmdel recently used sandy dredged material to improve drainage conditions in septic system leach fields.Communications with local developers indicate a willingness to accept the material as local needs arise.
Topsoil Creation – With proper blending of materials, dredged material can produce excellent topsoil due to is silt-rich content.Because of high salinity levels in Raritan and Sandy HookBays, care must be taken to allow rainwater to dissolve salt from the material before blending.The desalinized material can then be blended with leaf litter to create rich topsoil.Two waterfront facilities in the Bayshore Region currently process leaf litter for reuse: Aberdeen and Middletown.Adding dredged material to these processes can create a superior and more abundant product for community use.
Wetland Enhancement – Often it is more difficult to find beneficial uses for dredged material consisting of silt and clay, but wetland creation and enhancement can provide use for this material.Mattawan Creek has lost acres of tidal marsh over the years and presents an opportunity to utilize this material.
Quarry Rehabilitation – A number of New Jersey quarries are ending their mining phase and producing plans for development of their facilities.Preparing a former quarry for development requires a significant amount of fill material.Dredged material can help fill this need.In fact, one quarry owner has already expressed interest in large volumes of dredged material from the Bayshore region.
Municipal Adoption of Dredging Ordinance – A well-crafted dredging ordinance could require developers to use dredged material as a first option for fill material.The material would meet NJ State Residential standards for clean material and would be determined suitable for the desired use.
Coordinated Dredging Cycles – Economies of scale can be achieved by coordinating dredging cycles based on previous dredging timeframes.Planning and coordination among marine facilities can achieve savings by synchronizing multiple projects with a dredging contractor.
Development of the Bayshore DMMP began in 2007 with a grant from the NJ Department of Transportation Maritime Division through the IBOATNJ program.Since that time numerous partnerships have developed among civic organizations, non-profits, universities, trade professionals, NJDEP, MonmouthCounty and the municipalities within the project area.The “partnership” has been supported by public forums, workshops and interactive reviews of draft DMMPs.Substantial support for this project has propelled us to this point.
Thank you to those involved to this point and thank you in advance to those who will play a critical role in implementing the plan.Only by working together can we maintain our unique coastal and marine heritage in the Bayshore region of MonmouthCounty.
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