Florida Inland Navigation District: Florida Inland Navigation District: Permitting and Construction of the Permitting and Construction of the M-5 Island Offloading & CrossroadsM-5 Island Offloading & CrossroadsMaintenance Dredging and the NA-1Maintenance Dredging and the NA-1Upland DMMA FacilityUpland DMMA Facility

Authored by Lori Brownell, P.E. and John Adams, P.E.Authored by Lori Brownell, P.E. and John Adams, P.E.Presented by Jim Marino, P.E., D.CEPresented by Jim Marino, P.E., D.CE

October 2012October 2012

PresentationPresentation OverviewOverview• Long-Range Planning Efforts for Florida

General Dredged Material Management Plan

Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway

Florida’s Okeechobee Waterway

• Permitting Challenges in Florida

M-5 Island Offloading and Crossroads Maintenance Dredging

NA-1 Dredged Material Management Area Construction

Long-Range Planning Efforts for FloridaLong-Range Planning Efforts for Florida• Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) established in 1927

• Shifts in perception occurred in mid-1980s regarding dredging/dredged material management

• Taylor Engineering became the District Engineer in 1986

• Dredged Material Management Plan development guided by

Technical advisory committee

Citizens’ advisory committee

• 12 county-specific plans

• Two-phased approach

Florida’s Intracoastal WaterwayFlorida’s Intracoastal Waterway• 404 channel miles within two federally-authorized

navigation projects

• Constructed to present depths 1941 – 1961

• Environmentally diverse

• Multibillion-dollar economic impact

16 tidal entrances

5 deep-water ports

• 60 placement sites

8 beach

52 confined upland placement sites

31 properties acquired

18 operational

1 final design/permitting

2 under construction

Florida’s Okeechobee WaterwayFlorida’s Okeechobee Waterway• Expanding FIND’s DMMP

1996 and 2005 legislation added 98 channel miles (4 segments)

FIND total – 502 channel miles

• Fundamental differences between ICWW and OWW

Initially authorized and constructed for flood control/water distribution

No history of channel maintenance

Variation in lake levels

Active phosphorus load reduction effort

DMMP Permitting Challenges in Florida DMMP Permitting Challenges in Florida • DMMP Purpose: Assist the USACE with dredging operations in a manner dictated

by economic and engineering considerations, and environmental and socioeconomic constraints

• Economic and engineering considerations

Dredged Material Placement Areas (DMMAs)

Material locations (shoals)

Material volumes (cubic yards [cy])

Material types (sand, clay, silt)

• Environmental and socioeconomic constraints

Natural resources

Threatened and endangered species

Cultural resources

Adjacent land use and zoning restrictions

M-5 Island Offloading & Crossroads Maintenance DredgingM-5 Island Offloading & Crossroads Maintenance Dredging• Economic and engineering considerations

Island dredge material management area

Diverse and challenging wind and wave conditions

Tight beach compliance criteria

• Environmental and socioeconomic constraints

Adjacent aquatic water preserve

Active least tern and sea turtle nesting areas

Offshore hardbottom

Multiagency coordination – County, FDEP, USACE, NMFS, National Wildlife Refuge

Adjacent land use and zoning restrictions

• Repeat Taylor Engineering project

1997 = 625,000 cy at M-SLI A and M-SLI B

ICWW pipeline corridor

• Fundamental differences

1997 = DMMA construction

2012 = 350,000 cy between R59 and R80

Increased environmental scrutiny

Beach pipeline corridor

• Crossroads Maintenance Dredging

ICWW and OWW intersection

2 – 3 year dredging cycle

50,000 – 60,000 CY/dredging cycle

M-5 DMMA Placement

Project OverviewProject Overview

• M-5 capacity: 290,000 cy (4 – 6-yr dredging cycles)

• Intermodal area challenges

Federal channel

Wind and wave forces

Gabions

Adequate navigation depth

Seagrass

Mangroves

M-5 DMMAM-5 DMMA

• Pipeline route

Martin County easement

• Beach design challenges

St. Lucie Inlet State Park

Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge

St. Lucie Aquatic Preserve OFW

Vicinity of hardbottom

Sea turtles

Pipeline CorridorPipeline Corridor

NA-1 Dredged Material Management AreaNA-1 Dredged Material Management Area• Economic and engineering considerations

Variable subsurface soil conditions

Installation of wick drains

Rigorous seepage and slope stability analyses

Off-site material required for construction

• Environmental and socioeconomic constraints

Dense natural maritime hammock community

Healthy saltmarsh and freshwater wetland communities

Active planning coordination with FFWC, FWW, adjacent neighbors (Amelia Island Plantation and Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport)

Project OverviewProject Overview

NA-1 Unique Site ChallengesNA-1 Unique Site Challenges• Geotechnical conditions

ICWW dredge material placed on the eastern side of the island between 1943 and 1960

Western soils comprise medium to dense clean silty sand (3 – 9 feet below ground surface) underlain by 5 – 10 feet of very soft clayey sand

1960 Aerial Photograph

1943 Aerial Photograph

• Environmental site conditions

Narrow band of freshwater wetlands located between the eastern and western portion of the island lobes

Centrally located eagle’s nest

Summary of Settlement Analysis ResultsSummary of Settlement Analysis Results

DMMA Cross Sections DMMA Cross Sections

Western DMMA Cross Section

Eastern DMMA Cross Section

SummarySummary• Long-Range Planning Efforts for Florida

DMMP for ICWW and OWW ongoing since 1986 and 1996

Permitting and construction phases remaining

• Florida Permitting Improvements

Advance coordination

Active communication

Government-driven streamlined process

• Contact Information

Jim Marino (Jmarino@taylorengineering.com)

Lori Brownell (Lbrownell@taylorengineering.com)

John Adams (Jadams@taylorengineering.com)