Page 15 - Port of Baltimore - Issue 5 - 2024

Thinking Outside the Box
for Dredged Material
Dredging keeps the shipping channels open for the Port of
Baltimore, which helps our economy thrive. But where does that
dredged material wind up? The Maryland Port Administration (MPA)
and partners continue to explore ways to recycle and reuse dredged
material, also known as innovative reuse (IR).
In 2018, MPA advertised a Research and Development
contract for IR projects. One of the projects being executed by CSI
Environmental began in March 2023. The project is using dredged
material from the Cox Creek Dredged Material Containment Facility
to fill berms made from geotextile tubes. Today, these berms host
thriving native plants at the BGE Spring Garden facility and help with
flood protection and environmental enhancement. A new Research
and Development project with Northgate Environmental will study
the feasibility of dredged material to be used as cement clinker and
as a supplemental cementitious material.
MPA also provided dredged material for a local IR project to
revegetate a wetland at a former manufacturing site in South
Baltimore and to the Stoney Beach Condominium community in
northern Anne
Arundel County for
a beach restoration
project.
After an initial
planting in 2023
was bolstered
with some
replanting in 2024,
MPA continues
to monitor and
manage vegetation
planted on berms
made out of
geotextile tubes
at the BGE Spring
Garden facility.
AFTER  VEGETATED BERM
BEFORE BERM
PHOTOS BY CSI ENVIRONMENTAL
Dredged Material
Management
Program Releases
Mid-Year Report
The Maryland Port Administration’s
Dredged Material Management Program
(DMMP), which is responsible for finding
adequate long-term placement capacity
for sediment dredged from the Port’s
shipping channels, recently released its
2024 Mid-Year Report.
2024 has been a successful year
for many DMMP projects. Examples
include the Mid-Bay Island Project, a
beneficial use project using dredged
material to restore two eroding
Chesapeake Bay islands, the dike
raising at the Masonville Dredged
Material Containment Facility (DMCF),
and a new federal grant awarded to
study constructing vegetative berms
made from dredged material for flood
protection.
The report also highlights the DMMP
team’s efforts to increase public access
to nature, including progress on the new
Masonville Cove Connector, a shared-
use path providing safe and equitable
access to Masonville Cove, and the
Swan Creek Nature Trail adjacent to
the Cox Creek DMCF, an approximate
two-mile loop through the forest.
Visit the “Resources” section of
the DMMP website to read about these
projects and many others, and learn
how the DMMP continues to adapt and
innovate while carrying out its mission.
ACCESS THE
MID-YEAR
RE.
REPORT HERE.
MARYLAND PORT ADMINISTRATION DREDGED MATERIAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
2024 MID-YEAR REPORT
2024: Building the Future Together
The Dredged Material Management Program (DMMP) put forth the following recommendations for 2024 to further support
the Port of Baltimore in achieving success that will benefit our region economically, environmentally, and socially for
decades. Toward these ends, the Maryland Port Administration (MPA) continues to work closely with DMMP committee
members, elected officials, state and federal agencies, non-profit and community organizations, business partners, and
other stakeholders to build a future together.
» Funding & Policy Recommendations
1. Engage federal, state, and local elected officials, the American Association of Port Authorities, and other federal and state partners to
ensure favorable legislation and sufficient funding for priority DMMP projects, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) navigation
program, and projects that benefit and favorably position the Port of Baltimore in new legislation related to resilience and climate change.
2. Leverage partnerships with stakeholders and related collaborative efforts to facilitate legislation and funding. Examples of this work include
engaging with the Maryland Commission on Climate Change, working with the Maryland Green Purchasing Commission to establish purchasing
specifications for recycled materials and products, and partnering with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources on a Regional Sediment
Management Plan. These efforts will help the DMMP and the Port address sustainability, climate change, and resiliency planning.
3. Seek available funding for DMMP-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction projects at the state and federal levels to meet the
state’s target of 60% reduction by 2031 and net zero by 2045.
» Planning & Operations Recommendations
1. Conduct capacity and dredging demand planning beyond a 20-year timeframe to support long-term sustainable dredged material
management options. Continue planning, design, and construction for future expansions at Masonville and Cox Creek dredged material
containment facilities (DMCF) and mitigate associated environmental impacts while achieving capacity recovery through the 2020
Innovative Reuse & Beneficial Use Strategy.
2. Continue to remediate the Cox Creek Sediment Technology and Reuse (STAR) facility and prepare the site to implement long-term, large-
scale Innovative Reuse and capacity recovery efforts.
3. Incorporate the potential impacts of climate change and facilitate using nature-based and climate-resilient solutions into long-term DMMP
project planning, DMFC design and operations, and related project delivery. Concurrently, leverage the best science available to quantify
carbon sequestration benefits from the beneficial use of dredged material.
4. Explore alternative funding and cost savings options to advance the Hart-Miller Island North Cell’s habitat design and future management
in partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
5. Engage USACE, the Commonwealth of Virginia, resource agencies, and other stakeholders to refine the list of suitable, cost-effective
dredged material placement options for the Virginia Channels, including beneficial use opportunities.
6. Ensure that planning, design, construction, and operational efforts related to DMMP infrastructure and restoration projects strive to
minimize environmental impacts, consider the equitable distribution of benefits, and ensure that vulnerable communities do not
disproportionately bear associated adverse impacts.
» Outreach & Education Recommendations
1. Prioritize environmental justice by working closely with affected communities and stakeholders to develop and implement strategies that
promote fairness and equity in the DMMP to pursue outcomes that equitably benefit all Marylanders.
2. Collaborate with and recruit members for all DMMP committees that reflect the diversity of the communities adjacent to and impacted by
the Port of Baltimore and maintain transparency in DMMP decision-making processes.
3. Create equitable access to DMMP sites to engage communities, including intentionally engaging youth in educational programs as a
pathway to thriving career opportunities, including those in science, technology, engineering, math, and maritime-related industries.
4 Develop and implement a comprehensive outreach and engagement strategy focused on Confined Aquatic Disposal (CAD) in Baltimore
Harbor and the importance of investigating emerging dredged material management approaches.
JUNE 2024 MPA DMMP 2024 MID-YEAR REPORT
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