Southern Maine Dredge Feasibility Study:

1. Southern Maine Dredge Feasibility Study: Findings and Opportunities for Regional Coordination NH Dredge Management Task Force Meeting February 6, 2019 Paul Schumacher, Executive Director Abbie Sherwin, Coastal & Land Use Planner Southern Maine Planning & Development Commission

2. This presentation was prepared with funding assistance from the Maine Coastal Program through its annual Cooperative Agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Award #NA17NOS4190116

3. Presentation Outline • Project summary • Methods & assumptions • Key findings • Considerations not addressed in study • Information gaps • Potential next steps & opportunities for regional coordination • Discussion

4. Project Summary Is a regionally owned, operated, and managed hydraulic dredge a cost effective and efficient means of meeting dredging needs in southern Maine? Meetings & Project Coordination Dredging & Disposal Data Collection Operational & Financial Data from Barnstable County Operational Costs Forecast for southern ME Feasibility Assessment Final Report

5. Regional Municipalities and Waterways

6. Barnstable County Dredge Program • Pre-program cost split • 75% State • 25% Town • $1 million capital grant • Needs assessment • Cost-benefit analysis • Regional management structure • Advisory committee with representatives from each town • Dredging at rates ~60% below commercial market rate

7. Barnstable County Dredge Program • Ancillary Equipment and Cost Breakdown • Annual Dredge Quantities • Cape Cod vs. Southern ME • Differences in systems • Cape = sand dominant • Maine = sand, mud, cobble • Pump dredged material onto adjacent, sandy beaches • Comprehensive permits for dredging and disposal

8. Methods Methods Limitations Lack of current, regional sediment characterization data Variable sediment composition among regional waterways Limited data to inform sediment budgets • Historical and projected dredge data (ACOE, NOAA) • Investigated sediment composition in regional waterways • Estimated percent sand composition in regional waterways to develop regional “sediment budget” • Calculated dredge operating costs • Evaluated return on investment

9. Key Findings • Forecasted and Estimated Dredge Quantities • Dredging costs • Operation • Ancillary • Equipment • Fuel • Personnel • Financing options • Comparison of private contractor costs

10. Woods Hole Group Annual Sediment Budget ACOE 1994, 2017 estimates resulted in significantly lower estimated annual volumes, 38,882 c.y. and 25,655 c.y., respectively.(Tables 17 & 18, explanation on p.49)

11. Cost summary – hydraulic dredge & ancillary equipment

16. Information Gaps & Other Considerations • Historical dredging data (public & private) • Dredging vs. disposal • Sediment composition isn’t uniform among or within waterbodies • Different sediment types = different dredge vessel • Beach nourishment & beneficial reuse • Permitting requirements & cost • Timing considerations • Private vs public dredging/nourishment • Recent ACOE schedule

17. Next Steps & Opportunities for Regional Coordination • Availability of federal/state funding to support regionally-administered dredging • Regional management structure • Fair & equitable program considerations • Sediment amount, need, frequency, etc. • Cost-share • Cooperative purchasing for regionally-coordinated contract dredging • Fill data gaps • Maine Coast Mapping Initiative

18. Thank you Paul Schumacher Executive Director, SMPDC pschumacher@smpdc.org Abbie Sherwin Coastal & Land Use Planner, SMPDC asherwin@smpdc.org