ERIE PIER

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ERIE PIER
Detroit District
GREAT LAKES COMMISSION 3 October 2006 John M.
Larson, P.E.
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Naturally Shallow Harbor COE dredges 100,000
cubic yards per year
Duluth Entry
Harbor depth 8 of less outside federal channel
28 Channel
Duluth, Minnesota
27 Channel
Superior Entry
23 Channel
Superior, Wisconsin
21 Channel
Duluth-Superior Harbor, MN/WI
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Erie Pier
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ERIE PIER
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ERIE PIER
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Rail Road Tracks
Off Loading
Perimeter Road
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ERIE PIER
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ERIE PIER
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ERIE PIER HISTORY

• ERIE PIER CONFINED DISPOSAL FACILITY
  Duluth-Superior Harbor dredging goes back to the
  19th Century when Congress first authorized
  construction of piers and breakwaters at both
  harbor entries and the dredging and maintenance
  of the connecting channels. Historically,
  material dredged from the channels was used in
  the construction of waterfront property and docks
  as well as some of the islands within the harbor.
  Barkers and Hearding Islands and the Duluth
  Seaway Port Terminal are examples. Some material
  was also used in beach nourishment projects.
  Subsequent to Public Law 91-611, River and Harbor
  Act of 1970, Section 123 authorizing the Corps of
  Engineers to construct, operate, and maintain
  confined disposal facilities, maintenance
  dredging materials have been disposed of at the
  Erie Pier site in West Duluth.
• Erie Pier Confined Disposal Facility was
  constructed in 1978-79. Preliminary analyses of
  the Erie Pier site made it obvious that
  sheet-pile walls would be very expensive,
  therefore, an earthen dike was constructed using
  an impervious synthetic liner along the dock
  walls to confine the polluted materials and
  prevent seepage into the bay. The site was
  completed in 1979 with a capacity of 1.1 million
  cubic yards and a 10-year life expectancy. Some
  2.1 million cubic yards of material have been
  deposited at the site through 1997.
• Erie Pier interior dikes were raised in 1997
  adding an additional 600,000 cubic yard and
  prolonging the life of the CDF. With the
  washing process resulting in the re-using of
  about 250,000 cubic yards of dredged material.
  With these efforts the facility was projected to
  be active for another 10-15 years, depending on
  dredge material management.
• In 2006 the Corps of Engineers spent 534,000 in
  the effort to transform the Confined Disposal
  Facility into a Dredge Material Placement/Reuse
  Facility. Utilizing numerous programs and working
  with all level of government, a plan is being put
  together that will market and manage the
  material, with the goal of and lowering the berm
  elevation.

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MECHANICAL DREDGING OPERATION
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HYDRALIC DREDGING OPERATION
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ERIE PIER OPERATIONS
Washing Bowl
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ERIE PIER OPERATIONS
Sluiceway
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ERIE PIER OPERATIONS
Washed Material being staged for removal
Fines flowing down the sluiceway
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ERIE PIER OPERATIONS
Virgin Material
Plastic Clay Material
Very soft clay/silt with organics
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ERIE PIER OPERATIONS
Material flows to reach its own elevation in CDF
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ERIE PIER ORENTATION
Material Placement Site
Entrance Road
Rail Road Tracks
Pond
Offload site
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NEW ERIE PIER OPERATIONS
Material Off/On Load site
Material Cell
Material Placement Site
Elev. 620
Elev. 607
Ramp
Sluiceway
Transfer Site
Move Off Loading Site.
Elev. 640
Filter System
Rock Staging Area
Pond
Elev. 605
Discharge
Elev. 603
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ERIE PIER MATERIAL
20,000 CY
60,000 CY
15,000 CY
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ERIE PIER DEWATERING AND FILTERING SYSTEM
OUTSIDE CELL
INSIDE CELL
WIER STRUCTURES
ELEV 614-603
BERM ELEV 620
DOCK
FILTER SYSTEM
ROAD
PIER ELEV 605
RCP PIPE
DISCHARGE EVEV 603
WATER ELEV 601
DESIGN FOR 200 GMP AT 1 HEAD
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ERIE PIER MATERIAL RECOVERY

• 2004 30,900 CYS
• 2003 17,600 CYS
• 2002 14,500 CYS
• 2001 3,400 CYS
• 2000 110,000 CYS
• 1999 12,300 CYS

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ISSUES
Detroit District
Water Management Filter System WLSSD Market
ing Material Unclassified Fill General
Construction Mine Reclamation Initiative WLSSD
Soils Program City of Superior use as landfill
daily cover Invasive Species Removal from Erie
Pier Long-term monitoring plan of sites where
Erie Pier material is placed
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WAY AHEAD
Detroit District
Make infrastructure Improvement on an on-going
basis Work with MPCA on discharge permit, MNWI
DNRs on soils Issues. Establish a marketing
plan for material removal (i.e. bring the berm
elevations down) Work through HTAC Dredging
Sub-committee, HTAC and MIC
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Infrastructure Expenditures
Detroit District
Off/On Loading Area (Taconite Aggregate) Perimeter
Road Maintenance 3,000 CYs (Taconite
Aggregate) Ramps (Taconite Aggregate) Filter
System Design and Construction (Taconite Filter
System) Berm Maintenance Aerial Photo Invasive
Species Clear Grub - 2 Acres
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QUESTIONS?
Detroit District