IADC addresses Confined Disposal Facilities
Facts About Confined Disposal Facilities was issued last month by the International Association of Dredging Companies (IADC). The four page booklet, available free of charge online and in print, is the latest in the IADC series of concise, easy to read ‘management summaries’, which give overviews of essential information on specific dredging and maritime construction subjects.
Facts About Confined Disposal Facilities (CDFs) addresses some of the more urgent conceptions and misconceptions about the necessity for facilities where contaminated dredged materials can be safely stored. Finding ways for the appropriate disposal of dredged material from navigation and maintenance projects is almost always a crucial element in determining the feasibility of a project. Often an essential dredging project cannot go forward if provisions for secure disposal have not been developed. And since contaminated sediments can present risks to surrounding land and water, what neighbourhood would conceivably want such a facility parked close by? No wonder that the NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) reaction to CDFs is not unusual. But CDFs do not have to be a curse, and often they can be a cure.
Facts About CDFs dispels the myths and encourages clients to think through the plans forsuch facilities. It emphasises the importance of integrating CDF construction early on into overall dredging plans, prior to launching a project. And, since CDFs can be controversial, the brochure suggests ways to mitigate their impact by increasing their long-termefficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Treatment of materials and reduction of their volume,for instance, are two ways to increase efficiency. Equally important, when CDFs are located near urban areas, they can be re-used as industrial and commercial sites provided attention is given to the storage, drainage, and the chemical and mechanical specifications of the contaminated materials, preferably from the very beginning when the CDF is in the planning stages.
Facts About Confined Disposal Facilities offers concrete suggestions for dealing with what is a difficult and highly technical issue, but one that must be confronted by contractors, clients and stakeholder communities.
This is the 11th fact sheet in the series. Each ‘Facts About’ booklet is downloadable at the IADC website (www.iadc-dredging.com) or available in print for a nominal fee. Other titles in the series include: Site Investigations, Turbidity, Alliance Contracts, Procurement, Environmental Impact Assessments, Surveying, Soil Improvement, Dredged Material as a Resource, Dredging Management Practices for the Environment and Deltas and Climate Change.
