Technical Lessons Learned for Regional Sediment Management

Abstract : The US Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District (SAM) has recently completed a three-year Regional Sediment Management Demonstration (RSM) program that was initiated in October 1999. Engineering tools were applied to gain a better understanding of the coastal processes and sediment transport patterns over the SAM RSM region. Because field data collection, numerical models, sediment budgets, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are historically applied on a project-by-project basis, difficulties were encountered in assimilating data and applying typically project level tools on a regional scale. Specific difficulties encountered include: numerical simulations over a region greater than 300-miles, reconciling and merging surveys with varying formats and coverages for analysis and model input, obtaining historical data, accounting for gaps between datasets, incorporating and comparing model results, and managing field and numerical data over a large region. Lessons learned from the SAM RSM program are that successful implementation of RSM requires regional datasets and engineering tools appropriate for regional management and analysis. This paper discusses lessons learned and recommendations in applying project level engineering tools on a regional scale for RSM implementation.