EPA Blocks Harmful Mississippi River Pump

The Environmental Protection Agency made a rare decision to veto a $220 million Army Corps of Engineers flood-control project in the Mississippi Delta known as Yazoo Pump. Such vetoes of Army Corps projects are rare, having happened only 12 times in the EPA's history and not since 1990. Audubon, other conservation groups and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have made the case for years that the Corps proposal would severely impact tens of thousands of acres of wetlands and aquatic habitat important to migratory birds, Mississippi River fishes, and threatened black bears and other wildlife. Authorized by Congress 67 years ago, the so-called Yazoo Pump is a relic of an era when wetlands were considered wastelands, and the intent was to increase the production of crops on marginal farmland.

EPA plans new guidelines for treating toxic water

Federal regulators are hoping to release new guidelines next year that would give cities a blueprint for how to tackle the same type of toxins that contaminated the drinking water in Toledo. A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official said at a congressional hearing on Wednesday that the new health advisory is on target to be finalized sometime next spring. The agency's groundwater and drinking water chief says work on the new guidelines began well before toxins from algae in Lake Erie fouled the water in Toledo and southeast Michigan for two days in August.

Wetlands controversy: When is a ditch a stream?

While much of America waits to see how well Toledo fares against future algae threats, many of the nation's lawyers, politicians, and lobbyists are haggling over a highly controversial wetlands rule that boils down to this: When is a ditch a stream? The so-called "Waters of the United States" rule that was developed jointly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would extend environmental protections to ditches. It pits the public's right to clean water against private property development rights and, according to the agricultural industry, its right to grow crops and raise livestock. Developers argue that ditches that aren't obviously part of a wetlands don't deserve as much protection and can be filled in, while environmentalists say ditches are waterways and require the same protections as larger bodies of water.

NOAA scientists to share research and resiliency tools at international climate meeting

Several NOAA scientists will present information on climate research and new tools to build greater resiliency to climate change at a meeting on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Lima, Peru, that will run from December 1-12. Countries that are party to the United Nations Framework Convention will meet for the 20th year since the treaty went into force in 1994 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These meetings are held to evaluate how the convention is being applied and to develop the negotiation process between the parties in advance of new commitments. NOAA scientist Amanda McCarty will present on why wetlands benefit coastal ecosystems and store carbon to mitigate against climate change effects. As part of what is called the Conference of the Parties 20 or COP20, the U.S. Center, a public outreach initiative of the Department of State, offers a program to inform audiences about U.S. actions and strategies on climate change. NOAA scientists will take part in this program, which is open to the public at the conference with several sessions offered online from Lima.

NCCOS Innovative Management Approach Guides Marine Spatial Planning

NCCOS has developed an innovative decision support process, the Biogeographic Assessment Framework (BAF), for comprehensive and efficient management of coastal and marine environments around the world.  Two decades of close collaborations with scientists and marine resource managers have resulted in a tool that integrates multiple types of information, such as resource use and ecosystem characterization data, relevant to the area of concern into visualized products easily understood by planners and coastal managers.

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ushers in a new era of renewable energy transmission

The Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Acting Director Walter Cruickshank announced that BOEM has issued the first-ever offshore right-of-way (ROW) grant to Deepwater Wind Block Island Transmission System, LLC (Deepwater Wind) for the Block Island Transmission System Project (Transmission Project). The Transmission Project, which involves an approximately 25-mile-long, bi-directional submerged transmission cable between Block Island and the Rhode Island mainland, will connect the Block Island Wind Farm to the Rhode Island mainland as well as transmit power from the existing mainland transmission grid to Block Island. The Block Island Wind Farm is a five-turbine, 30-megawatt wind farm located in Rhode Island state waters approximately 2.5 nautical miles southeast of Block Island. Moving forward, many more offshore renewable energy projects are expected to follow.

Corps of Engineers embraces uncertainty of climate change

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is adapting the way it operates to accommodate climate changes that could cause floods and droughts. "During the past 50 years, much of the U.S. has seen an increase in periods of high temperature and severe floods and heavy downpours and droughts," said Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, commanding general, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "We all have observed changes to the frequency and the severity of these events...That is what the nation, and the world, is experiencing," Bostick said. "These changes are increasing the risk and the vulnerability of operations, missions and infrastructure; effective climate change preparation and resilience are important to the corps. Adaptation and preparation is not an optional thing for the Corps of Engineers. It's something we feel we have to do."

A Survey of Corrosion and Conditions of Corrosion Protection Systems in Civil Works Structures of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

This Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) describes the results of a survey conducted among U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Districts to document: (a) the presence of corrosion, (b) problems with existing corrosion protection systems, and (c) needs within USACE for additional guidance regarding corrosion and corrosion protection.

Cape Cod Shellfish & Seafood Co. v. City of Boston

A Massachusetts appellate court ruled that several seafood companies are required to pay property taxes. The companies were lessees at Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) on Boston's Fish Pier from 1998 until 2004, but only one company paid tax during that period. When the companies attempted to renew their leases, Massport refused based on the fact that the companies were not current on their taxes. The companies remained in their locations, paying rent on a month to month basis. When the city attempted to collect taxes, the companies filed an action seeking a determination that they were not liable for taxes on the properties. The companies claimed that since their leases had expired, they were no longer "business lessees" required to pay taxes pursuant to the Massport enabling act. The court rejected this argument, reasoning that the companies were essentially business lessees and therefore required to pay taxes.

BP Deepwater Horizon Case

A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reaffirmed its ruling that B.P. Exploration & Production, Inc. and Anadarko Petroleum Corporation are liable for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. In June, the panel had ruled that the companies were liable under Clean Water Act � 311. The companies sought a rehearing, arguing that the panel erred in its decision. The panel rejected the companies' arguments and affirmed its interpretation of a "discharge" under �311.

Shell Gulf of Mexico Inc. v. Ctr. for Biological Diversity, Inc.

Shell attained approval from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement for two oil spill response plans required by the Oil Pollution Act that enabled the companies to carry out oil and gas exploration in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas of Alaska. Shell then filed a preemptive suit under the Declaratory Judgment Act against several environmental organizations, seeking a judgment that the Bureau's approval did not violate the Administrative Procedures Act. The U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska denied the organization's motion to dismiss. On appeal, the Ninth Circuit granted the motion, finding that Shell lacked standing to bring the case. Specifically, the oil company did not satisfy the case or controversy provision of Article III of the U.S. Constitution, since it did not have adverse legal interests to the environmental groups.

Mobile Baykeeper, Inc. v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama dismissed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's determination that Nationwide Permit 12 (NWP 12) applied to a pipeline construction project for a pipeline between Mobile, Alabama and Pascagoula, Mississippi. The pipeline would ultimately be used to transport crude oil to a refinery. Environmental groups filed the suit, alleging that the Corps violated the Clean Water Act and the Administrative Procedures Act, because it failed to 1) consider the project's proximity to public water supply intakes; 2) consider whether routing the pipeline through the watershed would be contrary to the public interest; and 3) provide a reasoned explanation for its determination of minimal cumulative effects. The court found that the applicable laws did not require the Corps to consider the water supply and public interest impacts prior to issuing NWP 12 verifications and that the Corps provided adequate justification of its minimal effects determination.

Atlantic Coastal States to Collect Recreational Intercept Data for MRIP

Beginning in 2016, all coastal states from Maine through Georgia will transition to conducting the Access Point Angler Intercept Survey (APAIS) to collect information on marine recreational fishing catch and effort data in their own waters. APAIS, which is a component of the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP), has been administered by NOAA Fisheries through a third party contractor. Over the past decade several states (e.g., Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia) have successfully improved data quality, and stakeholder confidence in that data, through greater state involvement with APAIS contractors.

Rethinking our relationship with the ocean...

Coastal city officials are beginning to think of how their communities will not just survive, but remain vibrant places to live and do business with sea inundation. On Oct. 29-the second anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, Boston launched the Living with Water International Design Competition, an event aimed at rising to the challenge of redesigning cities impacted by rising sea level. In Maine, the city of Bath is at the forefront of proactive planning. The city recently applied for and won free consulting services from the New England Municipal Sustainability Network in partnership with the American Institute of Architects Design and Resiliency Team (DART). DART is a mix of architects, city planners and engineers from across the country that provides a road map for communities seeking to improve their resiliency and preserve the most valued features.

Errors found in FEMA flood maps for Gouldsboro, Maine

Engineers hired by the town to study where coastal flooding is likely to occur found substantial errors in flood maps prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The maps are significant because homeowners whose properties are in the flood plain and have federally backed mortgages must carry expensive flood insurance. The location in town that benefited the most from the 256-page study by Ransom Consulting Engineers and Scientists of Portland was Paul Bunyan Road along Gouldsboro Bay. The engineers also found the flood plain elevation set by FEMA for some areas in Prospect Point and Prospect Harbor also were faulty.

New Hampshire jetty may have been a costly mistake

"A beach is simply a place where sand stops to rest for a while before resuming its journey to someplace else." - Derry Bennet, 1986. On Nov. 7, the Merrimack River Beach Alliance reviewed some aerial photographs that showed how much the north end of Plum Island had eroded since the Army Corps of Engineers repaired Merrimack River's South Jetty. The group seemed startled by what had happened in only two short months, despite the fact that some of the best coastal geologists in the country had warned them that this would happen in a series of lectures sponsored by the local Storm Surge group.

An ominous precedent for New England's beaches in Nantucket

An ominous development poses an imminent threat to New England's coastal beaches. Through misguided actions of a wealthy few, most of the beaches that now ring Nantucket may eventually disappear. Nantucket Island, 30 miles out to sea, is in Herman Melville's words a 44-square-mile "elbow of sand." Its pristine beaches mesmerize residents and lure visitors for recreation, fishing, and circumnavigation by foot or vehicle. Wealthy homeowners atop Nantucket's eastern-facing Sconset Bluff are dooming these beaches to extinction. This lengthy outer crook of Melville's "elbow" is the largest headland in Massachusetts and the major source of sand that is continuously transported around Nantucket Island, replenishing its beaches.

Zero-gravity marsh excavator revives marsh life in Connecticut

A Volvo ECR88 D-Series excavator fitted with unique swamp pads and grapples is working in the Connecticut coastal wetlands for the Wetlands Habitat and Mosquito Management (WHAMM) Program. The excavator spreads its weight over the soft marshlands. A green stretch of salt marshes had extended all the way along the east coast of North America by the time the first European settlers stepped onto US shores. The marshes, created by conditions left from retreating glaciers, had formed in estuaries and lagoons on sheltered sides of sand or shingle spits. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) purchased the first-of-its-kind zero gravity marsh excavator for the Fletcher Creek Tidal Wetlands Project at Silver Sands State Park in Milford, Connecticut.

NY DEC Releases Hudson River Estuary Habitat Restoration Plan to Improve Health of the Estuary

A new tool to guide restoration and protection actions to sustain priority habitats in the Hudson River estuary is now available for community groups, government agencies, scientists and conservation organizations, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens announced today. The Hudson River Estuary Habitat Restoration Plan identifies four priority habitat types for restoration: intertidal (the area between high and low tide), shallow water, shorelines and tributaries, from the federal dam at Troy to the Tappan Zee Bridge. These habitats are all important to the overall health of the ecosystem; have been degraded or destroyed on a large scale by human action; and provide feasible opportunities for restoration.

New Jersey Retreats from Rivers but Not Coast after Superstorm Sandy

Riverine communities in New Jersey were devastated by flooding during Hurricane Sandy. The State's $300 million Blue Acres property buyout program aims to buy and raze 1,300 properties, replacing pockets of suburbia with open public spaces in some of the state's most flood-vulnerable regions. Analysis of state data shows that, as of last week, 202 properties had been purchased at a total cost of $42 million. And officials said they were in negotiations with hundreds more homeowners. Nearly half of the houses bought so far have already been torn down. But, as shown in the map above, which was produced by Climate Central staff using the state's data, none of the $300 million set aside for the program is being used to retreat from vulnerable coastal or barrier island areas.

Delaware seeks public input on beach regulations

When homes built close to Delaware's dunes are damaged or destroyed, should their owner be permitted to rebuild or should they retreat? This is one question at the heart of possible revisions to the state's beach regulations. The regulations argue that protecting Delaware's $3 billion tourism industry and coastal properties begins with safeguarding natural resources. Officials with the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control are looking to the public to shed light on the effectiveness of state "Regulations Governing Beach Protection and the Use of Beaches," which focus on protecting dunes in order to protect coastal communities.

DC's Poor Sandbagged in Flood Preparations

It's a well-known twist of fate that the capital of the United States was built on malarial marshland. Major sites including the National Archives and the Jefferson Monument, the Justice Department and the IRS all stand on flood-prone ground near the Potomac River. During intense storms, the area around the National Mall acts like a bathtub, collecting runoff from across the city. In response, the Army Corps of Engineers and National Park Service (which manages the National Mall) conceived of what they are calling the "17th Street Levee Project." Eight years later - overbudget and years behind schedule - the project is nearly complete. The levee is designed as a series of nine-foot-high, removable panels that can quickly be put into place in the event of a flood. Once in position, the provisional levee at the base of the Washington Monument is designed to hold back millions of gallons of water, protecting much of the capital's cultural resources. Yet it leaves much of the city, lower income neighborhoods in particular, outside its protective barrier. One of the most racially and socially segregated cities in the country, DC has a history of keeping its more vulnerable populations out of the loop.

Poquoson takes action to outpace rising sea levels in Hampton Roads region

A small town carved out of a salt marsh is living an uneasy future that may be ahead for low-lying parts of Hampton Roads: Up to 90 percent of Poquoson lies in the floodplain. Much of the city is 4 to 7 feet above sea level. Waterfront roads traversing the ridge lines of ancient dunes sometimes flood at high tide. One household has lost half a dozen cars in 17 years to salt water, and their experience is not unusual. "Everybody ought to have their eyes on Poquoson because it's at the leading edge of all the challenges we're going to face as we go forward," said Skip Stiles, director of Wetlands Watch, a Norfolk environmental group that works on sea level rise issues.

North Carolina draft sea level report update nearly ready

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission's science panel will have a complete draft of its five-year update to its 2010 sea level rise report ready in a few days. The panel met Wednesday at the N.C. Division of Coastal Management's Morehead City office, during which the panel reviewed a rough, incomplete draft of the report update. Bill Birkemeier, formerly of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, now retired, said the update has several key points to be made: sea levels are rising in North Carolina, the sea levels are rising at different rates in different locations due to local factors, it's likely the level will continue to rise over the next 30 years at least at the current rates of rise, it's possible that sea level rise will accelerate over the next 30 years, the projections show a range of risk levels across the coast.

New South Carolina Poll: Sea levels will rise, start planning

The latest Winthrop Poll of South Carolinians has a wake-up call for local and state officials - residents say sea levels are and will rise, so start planning. The results parallel the informal findings of the sea-level rise education project, South Carolina Businesses Acting on Rising Seas (SCBARS.org), of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce (SCSBCC) which has been working with coastal small businesses and local government officials. According to the Winthrop Poll those living in coastal counties are quite familiar with the issue of rising seas with 68 percent saying that they are very sure or somewhat sure sea-level rise is or will be happening. That compares to 55.4 percent of respondents from non-coastal counties. Statewide 57.3 percent said that sea levels will rise with only 8 percent saying that sea levels are and will not rise.

Savannah River deepening could begin in weeks

Work could begin as early as next month on the initial phases of the project to deepen the shipping channel of the Savannah River, a state transportation official said Wednesday. Divers hired to raise a Confederate ironclad sunk 150 years ago could be on site in a few weeks, almost on the anniversary of the intentional sinking to prevent seizure from Union forces.

Jacksonville Split Over Joining A Southern Port Dredging Frenzy

In his hard hat and with a whistle around his neck, Cameron looks on as a weathered Horizon Lines freighter pulls in from Puerto Rico. The ship is "a baby in the whole scheme of things," says Cameron, president of the local longshoreman's union. "It's a good ship ... but she's kinda slow and she uses diesel fuel. I mean, she drinks it like water." Small ships like these are falling out of favor on some shipping routes. And when an expansion of the Panama Canal is finished, possibly next year, a new generation of colossal, superefficient container ships from Asia will be squeezing through, delivering goods directly to East Coast ports. Those massive vessels, known as post-Panamax ships, require deeper harbors - and that has the ports of Jacksonville, Fl., Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga., in a three-way competition to deepen their harbors. But Jacksonville is split over whether to stay in the game. City officials are debating whether to go all in on a $700 million dredging project to accommodate the ships.

Second Phase of Crown Bay Dredging Project Still in Limbo in U.S. Virgin Islands

V.I. Port Authority officials said Wednesday that the first phase of the Crown Bay Marina dredging project is complete, but the second phase - which they hoped would be finished at the beginning of this month - is still going through the permitting process. During a special session in July, the V.I. Senate approved a Coastal Zone Management permit to dredge for cruise ships off St. Thomas. The permit allowed VIPA to dredge the East Gregorie Channel in Crown Bay and a section of the area along the northern portion of the pier at the Austin "Babe" Monsanto Marine Terminal.

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Announces $34.3 Million For Gulf Restoration Projects in Florida

Governor Rick Scott and The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced the funding of $34.3 million for nine Florida projects that address high priority conservation needs. The projects, developed in consultation with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and federal resource agencies, are designed to remedy harm or reduce the risk of future harm to natural resources that were affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Dauphin Island officials pitch $58 million beach restoration project through oil spill funds

Hoping to make one of Alabama's barrier islands a bit more of a barrier to winds, tides and major storms, Dauphin Island officials are hoping to secure oil spill restoration funding for a major beach rejuvenation project on the west end of the island. "This is something that we've been looking at for over a decade," Dauphin Island mayor Jeff Collier said. "Knowing that the island is subject to erosion, we've been looking for ways to shore up and stabilize Dauphin Island proper." Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley announced Monday that the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation had funded a $3.6 million study to examine options for restoring Dauphin Island, in a step Collier called a "pre-requisite" for the type of major beach restoration project the island has been seeking for years.

Vermilion coastal projects focus on objectives that restore shorelines and lost marsh in Louisiana

While much coastal restoration effort concentrates on building back marsh that's washed away, it's much more effective to prevent the loss in the first place. That's just what a series of projects in Vermilion Parish, some dating back 20 years, aims to do. Rock walls along the shoreline at Freshwater Bayou, including some built earlier this year, act as a bulwark against the onslaught of waves that can break down the marsh and quicken the process of erosion and land loss. "Boat traffic that comes down here creates massive waves that erode the shoreline," said Chris Allen, project manager with the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. At the same time, the state is nearing completion of a $3.4 million project to restore the marsh behind the rock wall. Sediment is dredged from the bayou and pumped over the rock and into the marsh area. More than 100 acres of marsh are expected to be built by early next year using a combination of state surplus funding and state Department of Natural Resource funds, including money paid by companies to make up for wetland impacts elsewhere.

Millions unspent for lifting Orleans' flood-prone homes

Federal authorities are putting pressure on Louisiana to speed up the use of hundreds of millions of dollars for hazard mitigation, including a program for lifting flood-prone homes that is hardly getting off the ground in Orleans Parish. Since 2008, Louisiana cities and parishes have been awarded $118 million for the FEMA Severe Repetitive Loss program, which seeks to save money on repeat claims to the federal flood insurance program by investing once to raise homes that have flooded several times in the last 10 years. Mark Riley, deputy director of disaster recovery at the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said there used to be a "laissez-faire" attitude about getting the money spent, but not anymore.

Half of future Whooping Crane habitat in Texas could be lost

About half of the potential whooping crane habitat along the South Texas coastline is projected to be lost to sea level rise. As the only wild flock of whooping cranes continues to grow, the endangered birds will need more space. For whooping cranes to be listed as threatened instead of endangered, the population must grow to 1,000 birds, a feat that will require 125,000 acres of wintering habitat, according to a recently published study. Researchers identified where the 5-foot-tall birds might find suitable coastal marsh. But the habitat is largely unprotected land and susceptible to sea level rise caused by climate change and local land subsidence.

As sea level rises, an Alaska Native village faces an existential dilemma

The Chukchi Sea's unrelenting waves were slowly ripping away the land and homes of the 600 or so residents of this Alaska Native village on a sinking barrier island. U.S. government reports determined that the community was "imminently threatened" with inundation and needed "immediate action" to move to safer ground on the mainland. Villagers voted 161-20 to relocate off the island. Shishmaref, the media proclaimed, would be the United States' first climate refugees. That was in 2002. More than a decade later, the U.S. government has yet to come up with a new location. Shishmaref has stayed put, protected temporarily by a $19 million rock revetment that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finished in 2009.

New $485 million design for Port of Anchorage is unveiled

Mayor Dan Sullivan and members of the port project team unveiled another new design for the Port of Anchorage on Friday, taking a simpler approach to fix what the municipality started years ago. The design calls for the abandonment and removal of unfinished construction to the north, along with two new terminals, two new docks and a new administration building set back from the waterfront, said Douglas Playter, a senior project manager with CH2M Hill, the engineering firm charged with getting the port project back on track.

Connection restored: Vital channel dredging nears completion in Ilwaco, Washington

In roughly a week, the dredge at work in Ilwaco's Baker Bay will likely be gone, but the battle to keep a vital channel open will only begin again. The small ports of Ilwaco and Chinook secured funding this year by making a "pest" of themselves, as Jim Neva, former Port of Ilwaco manager, said this summer. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is tasked with maintaining the channels leading into the two ports, put aside more than $1.8 million for dredge work, planning to remove close to 100,000 cubic yards of material. It was good news for the ports and even better news followed for small ports across the country. In June, President Obama signed the Water Resources and Development Act (WRRDA).

Documents show Army Corps' Oregon coal port consideration

In September 2012, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was ready to announce a major decision on a Columbia River coal port that would either fast-track an environmental study of the area or commit to a years-long review. Businesses with hopes for speedy approval of the Port of Morrow facility wanted the review fast-tracked. Environmentalists and politicians, including Gov. John Kitzhaber, sought the longer process, which was already in motion at other Columbia River ports on the Washington state side. It was to the shock of many, then, that the Corps chose the fast-track option. Now, documents obtained by The Associated Press show the Corps prepared a detailed rollout strategy in preparation for the lengthy review option, called an Environmental Impact Statement, just days before the announcement. The rollout included all material necessary to issue an EIS: a memorandum detailing its decision, a communications strategy for the media and politicians, and a letter to the energy company behind the project, explaining its decision.

Wildlife Conservation Board funds environmental improvement and acquisition projects in California

At its November 20 quarterly meeting, the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) approved approximately $26 million in grants to help restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat throughout California. Some of the 16 funded projects will provide benefits to fish and wildlife - including some endangered species - while others will provide the public with access to important natural resources. Several projects will also demonstrate the importance of protecting working landscapes that integrate economic, social and environmental stewardship practices beneficial to the environment, land owners and the local community. The funds for all these projects come from bond initiatives approved by voters to help preserve and protect California's natural resources.

Partrac completes first survey for US Navy contaminated sediments study off Southern California

Partrac Ltd has recently completed a survey to demonstrate its particle tracing technology for aiding the management of contaminated sediments. This was for the SPAWAR (Space and Naval Warfare) Systems Centre Pacific in San Diego. The study is being undertaken under a grant funded by the US Department of Defense (DoD) ESTCP programme. This is the DoD's environmental technology demonstration and validation programme, which aims to promote the transfer of innovative technologies that have successfully established proof of concept to field or production use. Partrac, a UK based contractor, has developed the particle tracing field tool and methodology over the past 10 years. This allows sediments and other particles to be tracked through time and across space in aquatic and terrestrial systems. It is a simple to use but highly practical tool. Partrac was commissioned to undertake the demonstration project to illustrate how the tool can be applied on a practical level to underpin the management of contaminated sediments in military waters. Contaminated sediments are a continuing regulatory issue for the Department of Defense facilities in the US. There is continued regulatory scrutiny of contaminated sediments located in proximity to multiple DoD discharges into aquatic environments.