James River Maintenance Dredging Project PDF Download

The James River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay polluted with the toxic pesticide Kepone. The Norfolk District of the Corps of Engineers accomplished maintenance dredging operations within the polluted portion of the James River channel during fiscal year 1982. As part of the channel maintenance, the District conducted a demonstration of a dredging method designed to contain and remove a polluted layer of sediment with a minimum of resuspension. The method involved modifying and fitting an existing dustpan suction head to a contractor's cutterhead dredge. The dredge was then operated using an anchoring and maneuvering wire arrangement that enabled precise positioning of the suction head within the specified layer of polluted sediment. Monitoring of operating parameters onboard the dredge, of resuspension at the suction head, and of water quality around the dredge and disposal area was accomplished with appropriate equipment. The dredge was also operated in the conventional cutterhead configuration for comparison with the dustpan arrangement.