Port sedimentation solutions - Gulf Coast : sedimentation management alternatives for the port of Gulfport.

Final reportPDFTech ReportFHWA/MS-DOT-RD-10-199MS-DOT-RD-10-199State Study 199DesignPortsSedimentationSimulationSuspended sedimentsWaterwaysUnited StatesMississippiMississippi. Dept. of TransportationDavis, Trey E.McAnally, William H.Mississippi State University. Dept. of Civil and Environmental EngineeringMississippi. Dept. of Transportation. Research DivisionUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUS Transportation CollectionThe objective of the project is to develop solutions to reduce sediment problems within the Port of Gulfport, MS and to introduce a workingsimulation model to reinforce the importance of throughput within the Port of Gulfport. Sediment deposition causes and solutions will be studiedalong a brief explanation of the hindrance of dredging to vessel throughput within the port.Ports along the Mississippi Gulf Coast experience large amounts of sediment deposition within their ports and ship channels. The primary tool forsediment removal is dredging, which can be very expensive and create downtimes within port operations. Research will study existing depositedmaterial to determine its sources and suggest solutions for reduction of sediment deposition using structures, technologies and/or practices.Instruments used for such studies were clam shell dredges, Niskin tubes, and automatic water samplers to test bed sediment gradation,suspended point sediments and tidal variations in suspended sediments, respectively. Additionally, fluid mud data were retrieved from the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers Engineering Research and Development Center. This combination of data assisted in the development of solutions forthe reduction or prevention of sediment deposition within the port. Further, research was performed to compare the estimated allowablethroughput without dredging to throughput with dredging. This throughput estimation is shown in a simulated model