Great Lakes Dredging Team

About the Great Lakes Dredging Team

The Great Lakes Dredging Team is now coordinated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Please visit their website at https://www.lre.usace.army.mil/Missions/Great-Lakes-Information/Great-Lakes-Dredging-Team. 

The use of the Great Lakes for recreational and commercial navigation requires the continued maintenance of harbors, ports, marinas and shipping channels throughout the basin. Dredging is required to construct navigation channels and to maintain depths for safe navigation.

The Great Lakes Dredging Team (GLDT) is a partnership of federal and state agencies created to assure that the dredging of U.S. harbors, connecting channels and tributaries is conducted in a timely and cost-effective manner while meeting environmental protection, restoration, and enhancement goals. The GLDT serves as a forum for both governmental and non-governmental Great Lakes dredging interests to discuss the region’s dredging needs. The GLDT meets annually and conducts studies, prepares reports and provides information to its members on dredging and dredging-related activities.

The objectives of the Great Lakes Dredging Team (GLDT) are to: contribute to the national goal of assuring that the dredging of U.S. harbors and channels is conducted in a timely and cost effective manner while meeting environmental protection, restoration, and enhancement goals; facilitate the resolution of dredging issues common to the Great Lakes region among the participating Local, State, Tribal and Federal agencies; promote implementation of the relevant portions of the recommendations of the interagency report on the dredging process; facilitate effective communications and decision-making among federal and state agencies represented on the Dredging Team and between the Team and key stakeholders in the dredging process.

Dredging and the management of dredged material have been the focus of considerable research, evaluation, and coordination among state and federal agencies responsible for these activities on the Great Lakes. Over the years, several interagency and international committees and working groups have been formed to work with the states to coordinate dredging and dredged material management activities on the Great Lakes, resolve technical and policy issues, and develop testing and interpretation guidance.

The Great Lakes Dredging Team (GLDT) was the first regional dredging team established and became operational in 1994. The GLDT acts as a forum for both governmental and non-governmental Great Lakes dredging interests and facilitates promotes timely, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable dredging operations of U.S. harbors and channels throughout the Great Lakes, connecting channels and tributaries. Members of the GLDT work on issues ranging from dredged material management to research and technologies. The GLDT prepares reports and provides information to its members on dredging and dredging-related activities. The GLDT has produced reports on the beneficial use of dredged materials, upland testing, dredging windows, a review of the decision-making process for dredging and a report on the importance of dredging to the Great Lakes.