Some are application-sensitive most are generally applicable.

Several steps must be accomplished in order to implement these applications. The applications being considered for the Harbor are:ĥ. Several types of beneficial use applications for New York/New Jersey Harbor are described in this report. This loss of degraded or relatively low value habitat would be justified only if the replacement habitat provides a greater ecological function (e.g., provide more fish and wildlife habitat, provide greater sediment/toxic retention, provide enhanced water quality or water circulation, etc.). In some cases, this will involve a 'habitat tradeoff', that is, the elimination of an existing habitat to replace it with a restored habitat that has suffered greater losses and/or is more valuable to the local ecosystem. Habitat creation, enhancement, and restoration with dredged material MUST result in net environmental improvement, or it cannot be considered a 'beneficial' use. Further, the beneficial use of dredged material is one of the primary goals of the Harbor Estuary Program. Implementation of the beneficial use of dredged material, carefully considered, can provide opportunities for habitat and water quality restoration in areas where restoration may not be possible without the use of dredged material. The DMMP provides an excellent opportunity to expand this restoration. Currently, the NYD has watershed-level ecosystem restoration projects underway for Jamaica Bay and several other areas within the Harbor. The New York District (NYD) is one of the primary entities responsible for the creation, enhancement and restoration of aquatic, wetland and upland habitat in the region.

Some of the District's efforts related to beneficial uses of dredged material include: With proper funding and planning, and a willingness of environmental agencies and the public, beneficial use of dredged material in the harbor can have a significant impact on improving the condition of the harbor while also alleviating existing demand for development and use of new disposal sites. Beneficial uses can include habitat creation and restoration, beach nourishment, landfill cover, and land site remediation. When feasible, dredged material can be used as a resource rather than treated as a waste product.

What is dredge material