The Palos Verdes Shelf Pilot Capping Project: A - Monitoring of Cap Placement Operations and Bottom Surge Currents

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed and managed a field pilot study of in-situ capping of contaminated sediments on the Palos Verdes Shelf off the coast of Los Angeles, California in August-September 2000. The extensive monitoring program was conducted before, during, and after cap placement using state-of-the-art equipment and sampling techniques. This paper provides an overview of the following elements of the monitoring program: 1) hopper dredge operational monitoring during all cap placement events, and 2) monitoring of near-bottom currents and turbidity in close proximity to the dredge during selected cap placement events. The combination of these monitoring techniques provided a unique opportunity to assess cap placement operations and their short-term impact on near-bottom currents and turbidity in close proximity to the placement site.