Project: Cheesequake Creek Maintenance Dredging, South Amboy, NJ

Value: $2,105,000

Dates: 5/2020-10/2020

Client: US Army Corps of Engineers, New York District

Contact: Nicholas Emanuel, Contracting Officer

In the spring of 2020, BAI was low bidder on a challenging dredging project for the NY District Corps of Engineers. The project involved removing shoaled sand and silt from between the breakwaters of the Cheesequake Creek Channel to ensure safe passage of recreational and charter vessels. The finished elevation of the project was -7′ MLLW, and the project area was adjacent to the Raritan Bay Slag Superfund Site. Due to the proximity to this superfund site, material removed from the Cheesequake Creek was deemed unsuitable for offshore disposal due to potentially elevated Arsenic levels. BAI worked closely with the USACE, State of New Jersey DEP, Pace Engineering, and North American Aggregates to develop a disposal and sample testing plan which allowed for local beneficial reuse, rather than disposal at a landfill. This plan involved taking samples of each barge filled to ensure any material delivered to North American Aggregates followed the Residential Direct Contact Soil Remediation Standard (RDCSRS) of 19 PPM for arsenic. Swift currents, shallow water, and numerous recreational vessels also presented unique challenges to safe and timely completion of this project, which had 30 days for completion. BAI began work on site in late August 2020, after a lengthy preconstruction preparation period, and completed the work on site by the end of September, meeting USACE schedule requirements. All material removed from the dredge prism met the RDCSRS standard and was beneficially reused at North American Aggregates’ facility, a major contributor to the project’s success.