The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been responsible for navigation dredging since our nation's early years and continues to develop and expanded its technology base in dredging. But prior to the 1970s, little technical information was available regarding dredged material assessment and management regarding environmental impacts of dredging, disposal and other uses of dredged material. The passage of major environmental laws in the 1970s mandated a large expansion of the knowledge base on dredged material management, and demands have continued over the years to further expand the knowledge base to address new problems, both from the operational and environmental perspective. Focused research efforts, managed and conducted by USACE laboratories at the Waterways Experiment Station, have met these challenges for thirty years now and continue to do so. This paper describes the evolution of USACE dredging and dredged material research programs, the major findings and benefits of the research, and strategies for meeting present and future needs.
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