Dredged material

Dredged material is the soil and rock removed from a waterway, channel, basin, or berth during dredging, ranging from soft silt and clay through sand and gravel to fragmented rock. Its grain size, water content, and contamination govern how it is handled: clean sand is a resource for beach nourishment, reclamation fill, or capping, while fine silts and contaminated sediment need confined disposal or treatment. Geotechnical and chemical characterization to a sampling plan precedes any reuse or sea disposal decision. Volumes are reported as in-situ bank cubic meters before dredging and as hopper or placed volume after, the two differing because dredging adds water and bulks the material.