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Maintenance dredging of previously-impacted areas utilizing either upland disposal or disposal at an approved ACOE disposal site is the least complex of all dredging activities. If offshore disposal is proposed, documentation of the review of available alternatives and the justification for their rejection must be provided. Alternative options for the disposal of dredged material include use in construction projects, beach nourishment, and habitat creation or enhancement. The analysis must also explore the beneficial use of dredged material or other alternative disposal options before considering offshore disposal. The analysis must include information that describes and documents the need for dredging. Application ProcessĪll applicants must submit an analysis of alternatives for the project as required by the Wetland Protection Rules. Maine's Natural Resources Protection Act and Wetland Protection Rules contain specific language that protects the state's marine habitats and fisheries, including requirements for timing the project and notifying local fisheries interests of planned dredging activities. State requirements for collecting and testing sediments are the same as those of the ACOE, and are outlined in the attached testing protocol. These guidelines are intended to minimize the adverse impacts of dredging to the greatest extent possible.Īpplicants proposing to dredge must file a Natural Resources Protection Act application with the DEP. Long term effects include the cumulative disturbance caused by the need for periodic maintenance, the removal of soft bottom sediments that provide habitat to economically important species and the possible acceleration of adjacent shoreline erosion. Short term effects include the degradation of water quality due to increased turbidity, the suspension of toxic contaminants contained within the sediments and the physical removal of marine organisms. This document has been prepared by the Bureau of Land and Water Quality of the Maine DEP to assist applicants proposing to dredge or to dispose of dredged material in coastal waters of the state.ĭredging and the disposal of dredged material have both long and short term adverse impacts on the marine environment. Permits are required from both of these agencies for any dredging activity. March 1997 Phone: (207)-287-3901 Backgroundĭredging and the management of dredged material are regulated jointly by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and by the U.S. Applications to Dredge or to Dispose of Dredged Material in Coastal Waters