Analysis of Sedimentation Characteristics of Dredge Sediment Used in Coastal Restoration and Marsh Creation Projects

• Main Author: Mebust, Christine M
• Format: Others
• Published: ScholarWorks@UNO 2015
• Subjects: settlement; dredged sediments; marsh creation; bulk density; settling velocity; Civil Engineering; Geotechnical Engineering
• Online Access: http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1988; http://scholarworks.uno.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3041&context=td

There is a demand to reestablish a healthy coastal ecosystem by rebuilding wetlands with river diversion or dredged sediments in coastal Louisiana. Land building projects using dredged sediments from adjacent canals and river beds, can be used to protect the coastal properties and infrastructure systems from flood and storm surges. To predict the sediment’s long term behavior, math models require input parameters based on sediment engineering properties and material characteristics. Proper characterization is critical for accurate design of coastal restoration projects. The dredge material sedimentation characteristics and their effects on the settlement rate of suspended solid particles and underlying foundation soil depend, among other factors, on the grain size distribution of the dredged material, salinity of the composite slurry, and slurry solid particles concentration. This research evaluated the effects of grain size distribution, salinity, and initial solids concentration on the sedimentation characteristics of fine grained dredged sediments in Coastal Louisiana.