The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Station Georgetown is located in the Pee Dee River basin in the city of Georgetown, South Carolina. Maintenance dredging was needed in the approximately two acres of river bottom surrounding a 95-foot-long pier and associated berthing areas in order to ensure the continued safe and efficient use of the USCG Station Georgetown. The use of these facilities is necessary for the USCG to accomplish its missions.
ANAMAR was contracted by USACE Wilmington District to evaluate the suitability of an estimated 11,000 cubic yards of dredged material from the station basin for disposal at the nearby Waccamaw Point Dredged Material Disposal Area via hydraulic pipeline dredge. The purpose of this project was to assist USACE in determining if the discharge from the disposal area would comply with the Clean Water Act of 1972 ([CWA] 33 U.S.C. §§1251 et seq.) Section 401 Water Quality Certification and applicable South Carolina water quality regulations.
A field effort was conducted in June 2013 involving sediment sampling using vibracore equipment and collection of site water using a pneumatic pump. ANAMAR coordinated and directed field operations with a subcontractor (Athena Technologies, Inc.) and worked closely with USACE Wilmington District and USACE Charleston District to design a sampling and analysis scheme, perform sample collection, subcontract laboratory analyses, and prepare final report deliverables. To ensure that all samples were obtained from within the dredging prism, a Trimble® R8 global navigation satellite system (GNSS), vertically and horizontally accurate to within 1 cm, was used in combination with a three-spud anchoring system. Water elevations were verified using a nearby water elevation gauge mounted on the pier. ANAMAR reviewed all data and produced a report summarizing the results of the physical and chemical analysis of sediment, elutriate, and water samples of the material proposed for dredging and upland disposal. The sediment evaluation report was finalized by ANAMAR in October 2013 for use by USACE and USCG in determining the suitability of the dredged material for upland disposal.