Sediment Disposal and Transport in Central SF Bay

Wakeman, T. H.; Mathiesen, A. E.; Chatfield, G. W.; ,

Sediment Disposal and Transport in Central SF Bay

by T. H. Wakeman, US Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco, United States,
A. E. Mathiesen, US Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco, United States,
G. W. Chatfield, US Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco, United States,

Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Hydraulic Engineering

Abstract:

The relocation of dredged material from navigation channels in the Francisco Bay is crucial to the movement of deep-draft shipping and shallow-draft recreational vessels. The margins of the Bay are shallow, as are portions of its northern and southern reaches, and must be continually excavated to provide adequate depths for vessel transit. This requirement for constructing and maintenance of local channels began with the passage of the River and Harbor Act of 1868. Since that time, the majority of dredges material has been relocated to several dispersive, aquatic disposal sites within the Bay. The primary site is near Alcatraz island in Central San Francisco Bay. In 1982, this site was discovered to be mounding. Continued bathymetric surveys through the eighties verified that the site was not behaving as a fully dispersive site and that a stable mound had formed. Currently, the San Francisco Bay region has limited disposal options other than this aquatic disposal site. Understanding the site's sediment consolidation and transport characteristics is essential to its management and longevity. Presently, surveys, calculations and modeling are being used to further investigate and quantify the sustained sediment yield from the site. The purpose of this paper is to describe the engineering studies conducted, their findings and management consequences.

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