Dredged material containment area siting and management practices for the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas Navigation System

Abstract

The McClellan-Kerr Arkansas Navigation System (MKARNS) currently has a 9-ft. draft channel for carrying raw materials into the Port of Catoosa in Oklahoma. By deepening the channel to a 12-ft draft, approximately 33 percent more barge capacity can generate greater commerce for the navigation system. However, this creates an engineering problem of disposing of millions of cubic yards of dredged material.

A feasibility study by the United States Army Corps of Engineers determined that 41 Dredged Material Containment Areas (DMCAs) would be able to contain and maintain the dredging needs of the new system for a 50-year design life. The need to manage and develop a comprehensive disposal plan to maximize disposal and minimize the time was therefore created.

By developing a Linear Model to balance the disposal production rate with the consolidation rate, the dredged disposal operations can be optimized to minimize the overall time to deepen the navigation system. The Linear Model was then checked with current standard practices to see if an accurate reflection of the geotechnical properties of dredged material were maintained during settlement processes.

The geotechnical assumptions about the dredged material were broad but are capable of defining a typical soil in the MKARNS. The case study concluded that the current navigation system can be deepened to the required three feet in seven years using 41 proposed DMCAs.