Craney Island - Contractor Regulations

Contractor Tolls

  • Direct Pump $1.84 Per Cubic Yard
  • Rehandling Basin $7.27 Per Cubic Yard

 

 

DEPOSITION OF DREDGED MATERIAL INTO THE CRANEY ISLAND DREDGED MATERIAL MANAGEMENT AREA, NORFOLK HARBOR, VIRGINIA

 

R 1130-2-4 15 APRIL 2005

I. Purpose. To prescribe and govern usage of the Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area (CIDMMA).

II. References

 

  1. River and Harbor Act of 24 July 1946, and Section 14 of River and Harbor Act of 3 March 1899,33 USC 408.
  2. EL 8 1 -1 1, Craney Island Management Plan, dated December 1 981
  3. EM 385-1-1 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Safety and Health Requirements Manual, dated 3 November 2003.

*This regulation supersedes DR 1130-2-4, dated 26 April 2002.

 

III. Description

 

  1. Placement Area. The Placement Area is a trapezoidal area adjacent to Craney Island, immediately west of Norfolk Harbor 50-foot Channel, extending northerly into Hampton Roads and covering approximately 2,500 acres enclosed by perimeter dikes that are protected by stone and concrete rubble revetment. In addition, there is an administrative and maintenance area, six spillways, three weirs, two division dikes, a spur dike at the Rehandling Basin, a bulkhead, and twelve miles of access road traversing the area.
  2. Rehandling Basin and Appurtenances. The Rehandling Basin and its appurtenances are located to the east of the Placement Area. The basin is 1,100 feet by 1,400 feet and 40 feet deep when empty. The Basin is for the deposit of dredged material from dump scows. It is connected to Norfolk Harbor 50-foot channel by diagonal approach and exit channels normally 200 feet wide and 18 feet deep, which are marked by day markers. A sketch is attached showing the location and details of the Rehandling Basin and adjacent facilities and appurtenances.
  3. Berthing Area: A steel sheet pile bulkhead provides berthing space approximately 300 feet long parallel at the west end of the Rehandling Basin. A dredged channel with minimum depth of 7 feet, 60 feet wide flared to 300 feet at the bulkhead, connects with the northwesterly corner of the Rehandling Basin. This facility is for Government use only, unless approved by the CIDMMA Facility Manager.

Policy. The CIDMMA is for the use of all private interests, municipalities and Government agencies accomplishing dredging to support navigation in Norfolk Harbor and adjacent waters. It is intended for the deposit of navigation material dredged from those areas in accordance with House Document #563 of the 7gth Congress as enacted by the River and Harbor Act of 1946. General utilization of the CIDMMA for the disposal of materials from upland areas will not be permitted.

Procedures. The use and operation of the CIDMMA is to be governed by the rules and regulations set forth below.

 

 

  1. Placement Area

    This area is to receive material by direct pump out method from hopper dredges, rehandling units, and material deposited by hydraulic pipeline dredge directly from work sites or from the Rehandling Basin.
  2. Rehandling Basin
     
    1. The Rehandling Basin is to receive dredged materials such as mud, silt, clay, sand, shell, marl, etc., and composites thereof, that can later be rehandled by hydraulic pipeline dredge into the Placement Area.
    2. Debris or other material that cannot be handled by a hydraulic pipeline dredge will not be dumped in the Rehandling Basin nor will it be placed in the CIDMMA. All debris shall be removed from the CIDMMA and placed in a licensed landfill.
    3. When encountering debris during dredging, dredged material deposited into the Craney Island Rehandling Basin will pass through a debris grid. The maximum opening of the grid size shall be 12 inches by 12 inches that covers the entire loading area of the dump scow. All dredged material that does not pass through the grid will be considered solid debris and will be disposed offsite of CIDMMA. The permittee/contractor will provide all necessary equipment, dumpsters, and labor to remove the debris from the CIDMMA. The permitted user will coordinate all operations with the CIDMMA Facility Manager before starting dredging. No stock piling of debris on, or near, the CIDMMA bulkhead will be allowed. The permitted user at his expense will repair any damage to the bulkhead caused by the permitted user’s activities.
  3. Placement Facilities In General. Use of the placement facilities shall be subject to the following additional provisions:
     
    1. Each dredging and placement job shall be previously authorized by joint permit granted by the District Engineer. Water quality certification will be obtained from the Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Environmental Quality (VaDEQ) for Corps of Engineers Federal navigation projects, certifying that the projects are in compliance with Section 40 1 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Non-Corps projects will have both a Virginia Water Protection Permit from the VaDEQ and a Corps 404 permit. Possession of a permit does not constitute permission to use the CIDMMA. Once a permit is issued, the permittee shall request to use the facility in writing on the latest version of NAO Form 66 which is included with issuance of the Corps permit. After approval by the Corps, dredging may commence, upon coordination with the CIDMMA Facility Manager. Use of the facilities shall be in conformance with this regulation.
    2. Prior to performing any work at the CIDMMA, the permittee or its contractor will have a formal meeting with the CIDMMA Facility Manager. At this meeting, the District Regulation will be reviewed with the permittee or its contractor.
    3. The character of material to be placed at the CIDMMA shall meet all requirements under the CWA and shall be acceptable to the District Engineer. Discharges that violate applicable water quality standards are prohibited. The District Engineer may require the permittee to test material being placed for contaminants in accordance with the EPA document EPA-823-B-98-004, dated February 1998, “Evaluation of Dredged Material Proposed For Discharge in Waters of the U.S. -Testing Manual”. This manual is commonly referred to as the Inland Testing Manual. The request for use of the facilities must state the approximate quantity and an accurate description of the character of the material to be deposited.
    4. The material shall be placed in the Rehandling Basin or directly into the Placement Area as directed by the District Engineer, and under hisher supervision, as hereinafter provided in subparagraph (8). Testing of the water quality will be in compliance with the contract or permit; the permitted user will be responsible for performing all required testing. It is the permitted user’s responsibility to operate the spillboxes in a manner which helps achieve the goal of releasing only clarified supernatant (water) from the spillboxes into the receiving waters. In addition to any testing required under Federal and Commonwealth of Virginia permits, users of the placement area shall visually check the effluent a minimum of six times per day at each operating spillbox, approximately once every 4 hours. If at any time it is visually apparent that effluent other than clarified water is being released from CIDMMA, the permitted user shall sample the effluent total suspended solids (TSS) and then the permitted user shall take immediate action at that spillbox to reduce the amount of suspended solids in the effluent by increasing the retention time. The release of effluent from the spillbox can resume after there is a sufficient depth of clarified ponded water in front of the spillbox. TSS samples shall be taken as often as required by the permit, but at least twice daily at the weir crest of each operating spillbox, once approximately every 12 hours. Permitted users must maintain a daily average TSS concentration of less than 500 mg/l. The daily average shall be calculated for each 24 hour period, noon to noon. The ‘less than’ 500 mg/l TSS concentration is a threshold limit and is not a TSS target or g~al. The target or goal is to release only clarified water from the spillboxes. If the daily average effluent TSS concentration is 500 mg/l or greater, the permitted user must immediately contact the CIDMMA Facility Manager and cease inflow into and outflow from CIDMMA.
    5. The TSS concentration of the effluent shall be determined by a photometric method using a Hach, 850/DR Colorimeter, model #48450-00, program 94 “Suspended Solids”, or an approved equal. Effluent water samples shall be taken with a 1,000 ml wide-mouth polyethylene bottle (Nalgene 2104-0032 or equal). The specified equipment provides for real time measurement of TSS concentration; therefore, the permitted user shall perform the TSS measurement in the field immediately after each effluent sampling is accomplished. Results of all testing shall be documented and provided daily to the CIDMMA Facility Manager. These records shall be retained by the Facility Manager for a minimum of 2 years; however, maintenance of these records is the ultimate responsibility of the permitted user. At a minimum, the following information shall be documented: date and time, test location, flow state (flow / no-flow over weir), test result, action taken, and name of person conducting the test. Additionally, permitted users shall document each visual monitoring period. At a minimum, the following information shall be documented: date and time, monitoring location, flow state (flow / no-flow over weir), water quality state (clarified water visually apparent / not visually apparent), if clarified water is not visually apparent perform and document results of TSS testing, action taken, and name of person conducting the visual monitoring.
    6. Spillboxes shall be well maintained with the boards at the correct level. Spillboxes shall be managed to ensure adequate ponding depth for effective sedimentation and managed to maximize use of the available effective weir length ensuring that only the clarified supernatant flows over the weir crest. Dredged material placement operations shall be managed to ensure that a minimum of 3 feet of freeboard, measured at the minimum containment dike elevation, is maintained at all times. The CIDMMA Facility Manager shall be notified immediately when freeboard drops below 4 feet.
    7. Pursuant to requirement of the Federal legislation which authorized construction of the Craney Island Placement Area and Facilities, the party or parties, including Government agencies, accomplishing placement shall pay an equitable unit toll charge for each cubic yard of material deposited in the Rehandling Basin or in the Placement Area, the quantity to be determined either from scow measurement before dumping into the Rehandling Basin, or from records of in-place material dredged. Copies of all records of scow measurement, before and after dredging surveys, and computations, shall be hrnished to the District Engineer. Before and after dredge surveys will be required on all projects; scow measurements will only be accepted on a case-by-case basis on smaller dredging projects. The rates are established at amounts which will cover amortization of the facilities used, plus operations, maintenance, and rehandling costs.

      Since costs of operation, maintenance, and rehandling vary from year to year, the tolls will vary. A review of the rates will be made as required to determine whether any revision should be made. If changes in the rates become necessary during the life of the permit, the permittee will be notified of the changes and the effective date thereof. In addition to the payment of tolls, permittee shall pay the Government the actual cost of supervision and inspection and placement as provided in the permit issued for the work.
    8. Material dredged by hydraulic method shall be pumped directly into such portion of the Placement Area as may be designated by the CIDMMA Facility Manager. Depending on the duration and the amount of material being dredged, the discharge pipe may be required to be moved during the dredging cycle. Dikes shall be constructed, raised, extended, and maintained by the permitted user to contain the materials as directed by the CIDMMA Facility Manager. The floating and submerged discharge lines shall not unreasonably interfere with navigation, and the land. lines shall be established and extended in the area in a manner acceptable to the CIDMMA Facility Manager.
    9. All permitted users of the CIDMMA shall exercise reasonable caution in moving their equipment to and from the Rehandling Basin and in mooring their tugs and scows.
    10. Wherever a dredge discharge pipeline crosses the dike roadway, the pipeline shall be buried or ramped by the permitted user as shown on the sketch attached hereto marked STANDARD RAMP REQUIRED TO CROSS LEVEE ROADWAY WITH PIPE LINE.
    11. The CIDMMA Project Office on a day-to-day basis will regulate use of the Government bulkhead at the Rehandling Basin by the permitted user. Use of this area by the permitted user for storage of equipment or materials will not be allowed.
    12. The permitted user will be responsible for operating (including monitoring and required testing) all active spillways and telescoping weirs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week including holidays while working at the CIDMMA, even during down times on the dredge. In the event that the water heights at the dikes rapidly increase, or the available freeboard falls below 3 feet, the CIDMMA Facility Manager shall be notified immediately. The normal working hours at the CIDDMA are between 7:00 AM and 3:30 PM, Monday through Friday except Federal Holidays. The permitted user shall have two shore operators present after normal operating hours, weekends, and holidays in case of a medical emergency or accident. During normal working hours, one person with a telephone or radio is acceptable. During dredging operations, the permitted user shall:
       
      1. Maintain a minimum of 3-foot freeboard or stop dredging until freeboard of 3 feet can be maintained. Both wind and rain can affect the freeboard height. Users of the CIDMMA will be responsible for repairs to the CIDMMA damaged by improper use.
      2. Sample effluent as specified in paragraph 5. c. (4) and 5.c.(5); and stop dredging when limits are exceeded.
    13. Quantities of material dredged and placed in the Craney Island Rehandling Basin and/or the Craney Island Placement Area will be furnished by the permittee. Before and after dredging Hydrographic Surveys and Yardage Calculations shall be performed and certified by an independent Professional Engineer or Land Surveyor licensed in the State of Virginia. For local survey and tidal datum information, the permittee can contact the Norfolk District Navigation and Survey Section at (757) 201-7 125. All survey maps and calculations will conform to recognized professional standards and be sent to the District Engineer.
    14. The equipment and facilities at CIDMMA are for government use only. The permittee or its contractor is responsible for furnishing its own equipment, water, phone service, sanitary facilities, and food service.
    15. Permitted users shall pay to the Government the full cost of repairing any damage caused to the CIDMMA, bulkhead, dikes, roadways, spillboxes, telescoping weirs, and all other features by their operations.
  4. Acceptable Concrete Rubble: Concrete rubble pilings, which are required for the maintenance of CIDMMA roads and dikes, will be accepted on an as needed basis. Acceptance will be subject to the following conditions:
     
    1. The permitted user shall assume all responsibility for the off loading, transporting, and placing of the material in the area designated as a placement site and in the manner specified by the CIDMMA Facility Manager. Material for placement shall normally be limited to a size which the facility can easy handle. The permitted user shall remove all floating and transporting equipment from the bulkhead area immediately upon completion of placement operations.
    2. Only materials or debris which will not contaminate or pollute the waters of Norfolk Harbor or the waters in the Placement Area may be deposited in the CIDMMA.
    3. All costs and handling expenses incurred during placement shall be accepted by the permitted user. These expenses will include supervision and inspection costs assessed by government personnel.
    4. Non-Federal permittees of this facility shall agree in writing to hold and save the United States harmless from any and all claims for damages which may result from their use of the facility.
    5. Securitv Requirements: Entry to the facility shall be through the east end of Hedgerow Lane. The permittee or its contractor will be issued keys to the gate and must keep the gate locked at all times. The permitted user will be allowed to use the gates during non-duty hours, provided satisfactory arrangements are made for security at the gates. In the event security at the gate is considered unsatisfactory by the District Engineer, the permitted user will be required to provide a watchman who shall be responsible for keeping the gates locked and admitting only authorized personnel at other than normal facility operating hours.