Toussaint River Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Demonstration Dredging Project.
Abstract
In 1991, the U.S. Army Engineer District, Buffalo, initiated a Civil Works dredging operation on the Toussaint River where it enters into Lake Erie. The Toussaint River is adjacent to the former Erie Army Depot (near Port Clinton, Ohio), a previous Department of Defense facility that used a section of Lake Erie from 1918 through 1965 as an impact area for testing and proof firing Army ordnance. A hydraulic dredge had nearly completed the 42,OOO-m3 (55,000-yd3) project when a 106-mm artillery projectile was found jammed in the cutterhead and the Buffalo District immediately halted dredging operations. Subsequent unexploded ordnance (UXO) investigation and removal actions along the beach of the former Erie Army Depot (from the mouth of the river to approximately 3 miles east) located over 5,000 items of ordnance ranging in size from 20 mm to 165 nun. The Buffalo District, under the auspices of the Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP) - Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS), conducted a demonstration dredging project on the Toussaint River from 10 July through 26 October 1995, that was specifically designed to address the UXO presence. The purpose of this demonstration project was to evaluate the operational effectiveness of a modified clamshell bucket dredging process designed to safely separate and retrieve UXO from the sediment prior to its disposal. During the demonstration, 14,757 m3 (19,300 yd3) of sediment were dredged, 31 inert pieces of ordnance were located and removed, and 6 live UXOs were destroyed (totaling 258 kg (568 lb) of scrap). This paper describes the demonstration project with regard to dredging system design, operation, and associated costs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA353974
Entities
People
- James E. Clausner
- Raymond L. Pilon
- Timothy L. Welp