In March, the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) completed a dredging and beneficial use effort on Sturgeon Island near Stone Harbor, New Jersey.
USACE’s contractor Barnegat Bay Dredging Company dredged a section of the Intracoastal Waterway and the sediment was pumped onto the low lying island.
Work is part of their Seven Mile Island Innovation Lab partnership with the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife and The Wetlands Institute.
In Spring 2019, USACE’s Philadelphia District partnered with the State of New Jersey, The Wetlands Institute, and the USACE Engineer Research and Development Center to launch the Seven Mile Island Innovation Laboratory (SMIIL).
Seven Mile Island, New Jersey was chosen to host an Innovation Lab due to the presence of existing and historic dredged material placement sites, confined disposal facilities, federal and state channels including the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway, extensive tidal marshes, a mixture of sandy and muddy sediments and, a rich historic dataset to build upon.
SMIIL goals focus on mThe initiative is designed to advance and improve dredging and marsh restoration techniques in coastal New Jersey through innovative research, collaboration, knowledge sharing and practical application. SMIIL is based on an international concept pioneered by the Dutch who use a “Living Lab for Mud” to test and demonstrate environmental and societal benefits.