Resolution: Beneficial Use of Dredged Material
Adopted on May 12, 2000

Whereas, dredging in the Great Lakes has been undertaken for 150 years to deepen and maintain navigation channels and for other purposes such as waterfront construction, utilities placement and environmental remediation; and

Whereas, an average of four million cubic yards of sediment is removed from U.S. waters each year and about half is considered unsuitable for open water disposal and is placed in confined disposal facilities (CDF's); and

Whereas, most CDF's will be full or at design capacity during this decade and open water placement of dredged material is coming under increasing scrutiny and may become more limited; and

Whereas, uses of dredged material for productive or beneficial purposes as in beach/nearshore nourishment, habitat restoration, landscaping, amendments to agricultural soils, road construction fill, building materials, strip mine restoration, temporary cover for landfills, and others have been identified and utilized to some extent; and

Whereas, as a dredged material management option, the current potential for beneficial use is limited because of private sector concerns regarding the lack of consistent standards for such use and fear of liability; and

Whereas, some research and testing has been done to remediate contaminated sediments and/or otherwise reduce pollutants in dredged material; and

Whereas, if beneficial use could be expanded beyond its less than 20 percent level in the Great Lakes, CDF space could be conserved and less open lake disposal would occur.

Therefore, Be It Resolved, that beneficial use of dredged material in the Great Lakes should be considered a priority management option and federal research and funding should be increased to expand its use; and

Be It Finally Resolved, that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and in consultation with the Great Lakes states, issue guidance on beneficial use to address the acknowledged uncertainties as to dredged material contaminant criteria and its subsequent use for particular purposes.

Adopted by the unanimous action of the eight member states of the Great Lakes Commission at the 2000 Semiannual Meeting in Duluth, Minnesota on May 12, 2000.