Exploring Advances in Water Injection Dredging

HDR and Industry Experts Examine Hydrodynamic Dredging Challenges and Opportunities

Maritime authorities must continually confront the issue of sedimentation in ports and navigable waterways. Regular maintenance dredging — a costly and arduous exercise — is critical for ensuring that safe navigation is achievable throughout the year. 

Water injection dredging is an innovative technique that can provide a regional sediment management approach to suitable dredging applications. RSM is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers initiative which strives to keep sediment in the local system, instead of moving it to traditional upland or offshore disposal areas. The use of WID has been explored in various locations throughout the U.S., including providing a reliable and cost-effective means for the North Carolina State Ports Authority to maintain safe access to its berths at the Port of Wilmington.

HDR’s William Fuller and Robert Lewis were part of a team that reviewed the current state of WID within U.S. waterways in the research article (requires login or purchase options) “U.S. Hydrodynamic Dredging Challenges and Opportunities.” The article, recently published in the Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, includes an overview of WID operations, discussion of the successful permitting and procurement effort by NCSPA to secure a custom-built WID vessel, a presentation of the results from a WID demonstration at the Port of Wilmington, and a summary of related case studies from across the U.S.