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Southern Maine Dredge Purchase Feasibility Study

Southern Maine Dredge Purchase Feasibility Study. Maine Dredge Team Meeting Augusta, Maine March 11, 2019. Lee Wieshar Senior Scientist lweishar@whgrp.com Direct: 508-459-6221. Adam Finkle Coastal Scientist afinkle@whgrp.com Direct: 508-495-6272. Abbie Sherwin

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Southern Maine Dredge Purchase Feasibility Study

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  1. Southern Maine Dredge Purchase Feasibility Study Maine Dredge Team Meeting Augusta, Maine March 11, 2019 Lee Wieshar Senior Scientist lweishar@whgrp.com Direct: 508-459-6221 Adam Finkle Coastal Scientist afinkle@whgrp.com Direct: 508-495-6272 Abbie Sherwin Coastal & Land Use Planner, SMPDC asherwin@smpdc.org Direct: 207-571-7065

  2. Presentation Outline • Project Partners • Project Tasks • Regional Case Studies • Findings / Next Steps • Questions • Project Goals and Objectives • Assess the feasibility of purchasing and operating a dredge and associated equipment within shallow-draft boat harbors in southern Maine. • Driven by importance of maintaining safe and navigable entrance and internal navigation channels • The communities in southern Maine recognize the importance of maintaining a working relationship with the United States Army Corps of Engineers so they can utilize funding when it becomes available. However, the same towns and communities want to be prepared to maintain their own waterways and assist in maintaining navigable depths in federal and non-Federal areas such as marinas, private channels, and mooring areas.

  3. Barnstable County Dredge Program • Pre-program cost split • 75% State • 25% Town • $1 million capital grant • Needs assessment • Cost-benefit analysis • Regional management structure • Advisory committee with representatives from each town • Dredging at rates ~60% below commercial market rate

  4. Project Partners Maine Coastal Program Coastal Communities – Municipal Stakeholders • Biddeford • Kittery • Kennebunk • Kennebunkport • Ogunquit • Old Orchard Beach • Saco • Scarborough • York • Wells Woods Hole Group

  5. Project Outline Task 1. Meetings and Stakeholder Engagement • Meeting 1 – Kick off meeting to review Tasks and deliverables and clarify site-specific goals and objectives. • Meeting 2 –Conducted on Cape Cod. Meetings with local municipal leaders and Barnstable County Dredge personnel. • Meeting 3 – Wrap-up conference call with regional stakeholders

  6. Project Outline Task 2. Regional Sediment Characterization • Requested data from regional stakeholders regarding: • historic quantities dredged, • historic dredging location(s), • historic dredged sediment types, • historic disposal locations, • recreational and commercial usage, etc. • Researched historic databases to amend data received from regional stakeholders. • USACOE data requests (forecasts), Cape Arundel Disposal Site Database, NOAA (coring), USGS (coring), historic Dredged Material Mgmt. Studies • Data used to identify and characterize grain size, type of material, and potential volumes in and adjacent to established Federal Navigation Projects in southern Maine.

  7. Project Outline Task 3. Operational and Financial Data for BCD Program Task 4. Operational Cost Forecast for Regional Dredge Purchase • Researched and identified the most suitable dredging equipment for maintaining navigation channels within the specified region and beneficially reusing and/or disposing of dredged material. • Hydraulic Cutter Suction Pump Dredge – based on Barnstable County model • Ellicott 670 Dragon • Initial costs identified for the purchase of recommended equipment: • Dredge superstructure (hydraulic dredge, hopper, etc.) • Ancillary equipment & personnel costs: support boats, pipe, booster pump, labor costs, fuel costs, pumping rates, maintenance costs, etc. • Costs for purchasing used dredging equipment also considered.

  8. Project Outline Task 5. Feasibility Assessment • Developed regional sediment budget • Determined operational cost forecast for owning and operating regional dredging equipment • Generated a cost per cubic yard of material dredged to determine capital outlay, identify time to recoup initial investment, and establish a reserve fund Task 6. Final Report • Summary of Tasks 1-5 • Outline of assumptions made in generating data • Recommendations and next steps for future work

  9. Findings Approximately $3.25 million dollars to purchase similar hydraulic dredging and ancillary equipment Approximately $700k annually to staff, fuel, insure, and maintain dredging operations If regional dredging equipment were purchased using a capital grant, the lowest-cost scenario identified in this study, a minimum dredge rate of $10 - $12 per c.y. Increasing minimum dredge rate by $2 - $4 per c.y. would allow for the establishment of a reserve fund to: • Pay down any loans or debts incurred during the procurement period; • Prepare for the repair and/or replacement of aging equipment.

  10. Woods Hole Group Annual Sediment Budget ACOE 1994, 2017 estimates resulted in significantly lower estimated annual volumes, 38,882 c.y. and 25,655 c.y., respectively.(Tables 17 & 18, explanation on p.49)

  11. Cost summary – hydraulic dredge & ancillary equipment

  12. Information Gaps & Other Considerations • Historical dredging data (public & private) • Sediment composition isn’t uniform among or within waterbodies • Different sediment types = different dredge vessel • Dredging vs. disposal • Beach nourishment & beneficial reuse • Permitting requirements & cost • Timing considerations • Private vs public dredging/nourishment • Recent ACOE schedule

  13. Next Steps & Opportunities for Regional Coordination • Investigate federal/state funding to support regionally-administered dredging • Regional management structure • Interstate coordination: ME/NH/MA • Fair & equitable program considerations • Sediment amount, need, frequency, etc. • Cost-share • Investigate cooperative purchasing for regionally-coordinated contract dredging • Compare cost of regional dredge purchase vs. exclusive contract • Private contractor costs (site-specific): $150k - $350k for mobilization, $18 - $35 per c.y. • Fill data gaps • Sediment quality and geochemical testing • Maine Coast Mapping Initiative • Research permitting requirements • Identify suitable dewatering sites and/or upland storage locations

  14. Questions? / Discussion of Next Steps This project was funded the Maine Coastal Program through its annual Cooperative Agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Award #NA17NOS4190116

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