Dredging and Sediment Management

Dredging is necessary to create and maintain navigation channels to our nation’s ports, harbors, marinas, and naval facilities. Billions of cubic yards of sediment are dredged each year. Managing and regulating the disposal of dredged sediment is a shared responsibility of the EPA and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), under both the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA or Ocean Dumping Act). Consistent with the National Dredging Policy (Not WCMS page), EPA encourages the “beneficial reuse” (Not WCMS page) of dredged material.