Environmental Benefit Unit Development
Abstract
The United States Army Corps of Engineers conducts and manages dredging operations throughout the nation to keep the nation's rivers and ports open to commercial traffic. Historically USACE evaluates projects using a cost benefit analysis to determine which projects are more economical. With the creation of an Environmental Benefit Unit (EBU), emphasis on environmental consideration is considered simultaneously along with the financial aspect. The environmental benefits of using dredged material in a project such as restoring wetlands are quantified in order to provide the decision maker with pertinent information aside from economical data. The purpose of this report is to assign a quantifiable number for the environmental benefits of utilizing the dredged material. Our focus area occurs after the dredging operation has occurred and the dredged material is being held for either a beneficial use or waiting to be discarded. Due to differences in geography resulting in different project opportunities it will be necessary for each District in USACE to have their own EBU scale. For this project Long Island, NY will be the focus area and the model created can be altered and used by every District. The purpose of an EBU is to supplement the decision maker with the benefits of using the material for a constructive project by analyzing the four accounts of the Principles and Standards. The four accounts are National Economic Development (NED), Regional Economic Development (RED), Environmental Quality (EQ), and Social Well-Being (SWB). The NED and RED are accounted for in a basic cost benefit analysis USACE conducts prior to beginning a project. The EBU will account for the environmental quality and social well-being aspects, which are not quantified during the cost/benefit analysis.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- AD1230641
Entities
People
- Bradley Buss
- Caitlin Mcardle
- Jay Vonlehman
- Kenneth Mcdonald
- Michael Bang
Organizations
- United States Military Academy