Dredged Material as a Natural Resource

The Corps of Engineers is conducting research dealing with the use of dredged material as a manageable natural resource. Historically, dredged material produced as a result of dredging operations to maintain the Nation's navigable waterways had been considered strictly a waste product. The concern about the environmental effects of the disposal of dredged material and the need to use all resources efficiently have changed the perspective towards dredged material to view it as a potentially productive natural resource. To foster this new philosophy, the Productive Uses Project has been included as an integral part of the Dredged Material Research Program being conducted at the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss. The objectives of this project are to identify and assess concepts for the productive use of dredged material or disposal sites, or both, and to develop workable systems applicable to dredging projects both within and outside of the Corps.