 The Environmental Laboratory provides expertise in engineering, operational, and environmental aspects of waterways management to address issues that affect maintenance of a safe, reliable, environmentally sustainable, and economically efficient navigation system. Among these issues are dredging and dredged material management. EL scientists and engineers form multi-disciplinary teams conducting cutting-edge R&D in diverse, technically complex mission areas, including innovative technologies, environmental resource protection, risk assessment and management, beneficial uses, multi-criteria decision support, development and validation of predictive numerical models, software tools, and guidance documents to evaluate efficient, environmentally sound, and cost-effective methods for dredging, handling, transport, and placement of dredged material. Improved best management practices, such as environmental windows, are a priority topic of EL R&D. Protection of Threatened and Endangered Species during construction and maintenance of navigation projects exemplifies one critical component of ongoing investigations. EL is also intensively engaged in evaluation of environmental risk associated with the dredging process, including contaminated sediment characterization, management, and treatment. |
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Geospatial