Siting and Permitting of Sediment Processing/Decontamination Facilities - Two Case Studies in New Jersey

The presence of contaminated sediments in our urban harbors is emerging as a serious environmental and economic concern. New York/New Jersey Harbor is both the oldest port in the United States and the largest port complex on the east coast of North America. To ensure that the Port of New York/New Jersey remains a viable port, environmental restoration and channel deepening projects yielding approximately 9 million cubic meters (12 million cubic yards) of dredged material over the next five years are required. Environmental regulations enacted over the past few decades restricting placement of dredged material in open waters have led to an increased interest in beneficial use applications and sediment decontamination technologies. Under the reenacted Water Resources Development Act of 1996, funding has been appropriated to support these objectives that seek alternatives to ocean disposal. Locally in New Jersey, two public-private partnerships have been established to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of developing regional sediment processing and decontamination facilities, respectively.