The American dredging industry saw a 39 percent increase in U.S. Army Corps of Engineer awards between fiscal years 2022-23 amidst a $3 billion investment in construction of new dredges and associated vessels and equipment, according to a Dredging Contractors of America (DCA) report.
“The private sector U.S. dredging industry continues to be highly competitive [and] innovative and saves the country hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars,” William P. Doyle, the chief executive officer of DCA, said in a press release. “The industry is recapitalizing its fleet of dredges and equipment and helping the Army Corps of Engineers meet its 70 percent goal of reusing dredge material for beneficial projects like shoreline stabilization, barrier island restoration and securing fish and wildlife habitat.”
Doyle told Professional Mariner that dredging has seen years of investment dating back to the first Trump administration and extending through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act/Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan. Doyle admitted that it was difficult to fulfill work orders during the COVID-19 pandemic but also said there’s real political power supporting dredging in the legislative branch.
“We have a very favorable Congress that’s run by Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi who are all big power players in the House,” Doyle told Professional Mariner, adding that there are also power players in the Senate, such as Chuck Schumer, who announced in early 2024 that he’d secured $7.5 million “to make long overdue repairs to Barcelona Harbor” on Lake Erie.
Regarding savings, the DCA report said that the industry was consistently bidding lower than government estimates, with 93 percent of projects having a winning bid lower than the government’s estimated award range. This represents a “savings to the United States [at] $707,332,283,” representing an average taxpayer-dollar savings of 35 percent per project,” the DCA report said.
Dredged material has also been repurposed to rebuild barrier islands, create and restore wildlife habitat and cover landfills, among other uses. “Reuse does make dredging cheaper,” Doyle told PM.
“Beneficial use of dredged material in a harbor can have a significant impact on improving the condition of the harbor while also alleviating existing demand for development and use of new disposal sites,” the DCA report said, adding, “The Army Corps of Engineers has set a goal of reusing 70 percent of dredged material for beneficial uses by 2030.”