Demonstration of a Submerged Diffuser for Dredged Material Disposal

The availability of upland sites for dredged material disposal has become increasingly limited. Open-water disposal is one option available to address this problem, but broader environmental questions frequently must be treated at open-water sites especially when handling contaminated sediments. The Water Resources Engineering Group of the US Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station (WES) has been evaluating alternative methods and technologies to enhance the environmental acceptability of open-water disposal. This paper describes a field study of a submerged diffuser operated during a demonstration of innovative dredging and disposal technologies. Monitoring during the study included measurement of current velocities and suspended solids before and during the diffuser operation. Results indicate that the diffuser can be useful in limiting the initial dredged material movement, improving placement accuracy and reducing the extent of suspended solids at the discharge point.