Erie Harbor, Pennsylvania, Channel Shoaling Analysis
Abstract
Presque Isle is located on the southern shore of Lake Erie and shelters the federal harbor at Erie, Pennsylvania. The US Army Engineer District, Buffalo (LRB) requested the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) to quantify the amount of shoaled material from 1998 to 2009 in the federal navigation channel and to assess the suitability of the potential dredged material for beach nourishment or wetland restoration. The project entailed review of the dredging history at Erie Harbor, including channel shoaling analysis and sediment analysis. The statistical analysis of historical data on dredged material from 1873 to 1977 indicated the loss of littoral material from Presque Isle to the Erie Harbor entrance channel. Microstation/InRoads software was used to create digital terrain models (DTMs) of the channel soundings and to evaluate the channel sediment shoaling. Color-coded elevation change drawings were created from 1998 to 2010 and show only changes from the natural processes since no dredging occurred during that time period. The Thiessen polygons method was used to determine 12 individual areas (zones) of influence around a set of sediment sample locations. Only four zones have measurable volume of the shoaled materials with a potential for dredging. Based upon the review of sediment size distribution, the material from these areas is primarily fine-grained and is considered suitable only for the creation or restoration of wetlands.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA546701
Entities
People
- Danny W. Harrelson
- Mansour Zakikhani
- Michael Mohr
- Shanon Chader
Organizations
- United States Army Corps of Engineers