U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Water & Air Research, Inc. was contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Jacksonville District, to collect and characterize sediment from Big Fishweir Creek in Jacksonville, Florida, in support of future dredging activities. The work was conducted to provide information needed to evaluate potential dredging and determine appropriate methods for managing and disposing of dredged sediment, including potential placement in nearby wetlands for storm resiliency or disposal at a landfill. The project also supported compliance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.
Water & Air collected sediment vibracore samples from 18 locations throughout Big Fishweir Creek. Working with our partners, Water & Air collected continuous cores using vibracoring equipment and used differential GPS and surveyed NAVD88 tide gauges to establish sampling locations and elevations. Water & Air also collected in-situ water quality measurements, including temperature, pH, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity, and processed sediment cores for laboratory analysis.
Five composite sediment samples were analyzed for a broad range of contaminants, including metals, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins and furans, herbicides, and phthalates. Water & Air also generated elutriate samples to evaluate potential contaminant release from the sediment and performed Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) testing on selected samples to evaluate potential landfill disposal considerations. Analytical results were compared with applicable FDEP sediment and water quality criteria, EPA screening values, and other project-specific guidance. Our results concluded that the sampling and analytical data were of acceptable quality for project needs and provided USACE with the chemical characterization needed to support future dredging and sediment management decisions.