An Offshore Mound Constructed of Dredged Material

Hands, Edward B.; DeLoach, Stephen R.; ,

An Offshore Mound Constructed of Dredged Material

by Edward B. Hands, US Army Engineer Waterways, Experiment Station, Coastal, Engineering Research Cent, Vicksburg, MS, USA,
Stephen R. DeLoach, US Army Engineer Waterways, Experiment Station, Coastal, Engineering Research Cent, Vicksburg, MS, USA,

Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Dredging and Dredged Material Disposal

Abstract:

The concept of using dredged material to intentionally construct an underwater mound was tested and confirmed at the Dam Neck Disposal Site, 4 miles offshore Virginia Beach, Virginia. Approximately 850,000 cu yd of very fine sand and silt was dredged from channels in the mouth of Chesapeake Bay and released at a carefully controlled location in 34 to 36 ft of water. Most of the material settled and remained in a 1,600-ft by 2,800-ft area forming a stable mound 11 ft high. Side slopes averaged 1 on 130. There was some initial and longer term selective sorting of material based on size, but there was no measurable loss of material beyond the vicinity of dumping. The surveys confirmed that construction of an underwater mound is feasible even with less than optimum size material, and that such construction can be accomplished with no significant added cost to most dredging projects.

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