Dredged material can be used beneficially to enhance or create various wildlife habitats. This may be either incidental to the project purpose or planned. Numerous examples are available where dredged material has been used to create nesting islands for waterbirds and waterfowl.
Many technical considerations are necessary for the creation of nesting islands.
The placement of the dredged material can be manipulated to provide the most acceptable habitat characteristics. Upland wildlife habitats are typically dredged material containment areas that are no longer used or have long periods between maintenance dredged material placement. This allows native vegetation to grow and provide food and cover for wildlife. Site management is minimal, but can be intensified to provide special food crops, overwintering waterfowl feeding areas, and numerous other natural resource opportunities.