Patent Publication Number: US-2017369132-A1

Title: Apparatus, System, and Method For Remediation of Contamination

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to cleaning toxic waste, and more particularly, to an apparatus, system and method for remediation of contaminated materials from a body of water. 
     2. Related Art 
     It has been found that some naturally occurring bodies of water such as lakes, reservoirs, rivers and streams have become contaminated with material, such as, for example, with chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (“PCBs”) or chlorinated dioxins. 
     There is a need for an apparatus, system and method for removal of these contaminated materials. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A first aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus for remediation of contaminated sediment at the bottom of a body of water, said apparatus comprising: a vessel having an opening facing and configured for direct physical contact with the bottom of the body of water so as to isolate an area contained within the opening from areas outside the opening; the vessel comprising: first, second, third, and fourth side plates, a top plate, and an opening, wherein the polygon shaped vessel has been adapted for being lowered to the body of water with the opening facing a bottom of the body of water; first, second, third, and fourth curtain plates abutting and having been coupled to the first, second, third, and the fourth side plates, respectively, wherein the first, second, third, and the fourth curtain plates have been adapted for being lowered to the bottom of the body of water; at least one agitator for suspending sediment contained within the opening; a mapping system for determining a longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates of the locations; first pipes configured to transport the contained and suspended sediment from the isolated area to an area located outside the isolated area; and a pumping system including first pipes configured to transport the contained and suspended sediment from the isolated location. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an apparatus for removing and treating materials in a body of water, the apparatus comprising a vessel, according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  illustrate an apparatus for removing and treating materials in a body of water, according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3A  illustrates a flow chart of a method for operating the apparatus of  FIGS. 2A and 2B , according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3B  illustrates a flow chart of a method for operating the apparatus of  FIGS. 2A and 2B , according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a growth packet for improving the environment, according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a growth packet for improving the environment, according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6A  illustrates a planting system that can be used for planting the growth packets of  FIGS. 4 and 5 , according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6B  illustrates  FIG. 6A , including a bottom view of a planting sled of  FIG. 6A , according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a flow chart of a method for operating the planting systems, according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8 a    illustrates a top view of the vessel of  FIG. 1 , coupled to four curtain plates, according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8 b    illustrates a perspective view of the vessel and the curtain plates of  FIG. 8 a   , according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8 c    illustrates a side view of the vessel and the curtain plates of  FIG. 8 a   , after the curtain plates have been lowered to the bottom of a body of water, according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates an exploded side elevation view of the planting sled, according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a Blanket Roll Planting System (BR Planting System), according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a method for planting using a ram piston, according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  depicts a longitudinal cross sectional view of the apparatus, illustrating an exploded view of an attachment, as depicted in  FIG. 2A , supra, according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  depicts a transverse cross-sectional view of the apparatus, illustrating an exploded view of an attachment, as depicted in  FIG. 2A , supra, according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  depicts a longitudinal cross sectional view of the apparatus, illustrating an exploded view of an attachment, as depicted in  FIG. 2A , supra, according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 15  depicts a flow chart illustrating an automated method of operating the apparatuses as depicted in  FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B , according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 16  depicts a schematic block diagram of a computer for automatically operating the apparatuses as depicted in  FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B , according to embodiments of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an apparatus  100 , such as a Closed Loop Extraction Lunch Box (“CLELB”), wherein an open side  90  of the apparatus  100  may be facing a bottom  80  of the body of water  83 , and an edge  82  of a vessel  110  may be directly and physically in contact with the bottom  80  of the body of water  83 , such that the contained water and suspended sediment  152 , the contained precipitated sediment  78  and the contained mud  85  may be essentially completely isolated or separated from an uncontained area of water and suspended sediment  150 , the precipitated sediment  78 ′ and the uncontained mud  85 ′ outside the vessel  110 . The body of water  83  may include water and suspended sediment  150  and the bottom  80  of the body of water  83 , wherein the bottom  80  of the body of water  83  may include sediment  78 ′, mud  85 ′ and bedrock  87  and may be adjacent to a body of land  160 , such as, for example, a water along a shore, water along an edge of a river, water along an edge of a lakefront, or water along an edge of a beach. Alternatively, the edge  82  of the vessel  110  may be directly and physically in contact with the mud  85  and  85 ′, such that the contained water and suspended sediment  152 , contained precipitated sediment  78  and contained mud  85  may be essentially completely isolated or separated from the uncontained area of water and suspended sediment  150 , the uncontained precipitated sediment  78 ′ and the uncontained mud  85 ′. Alternatively, the edge  82  of the vessel  110  may be directly and physically in contact with the precipitated sediment  78  and  78 ′, such that the contained water and suspended sediment  152  and contained precipitated sediment  78  may be essentially completely isolated or separated from the uncontained area of water and suspended sediment  150  and the uncontained precipitated sediment  78 ′. The contained precipitated sediment portion  78  and an uncontained precipitated sediment portion  78 ′, may be, for example, contaminated material, the contained mud portion  85  and the uncontained mud portion  85 ′ may be a mixture of earth and water so as to be adhesive, and the bedrock portion  87  may be rock, shale or other hard material that supports the mud,  85  and  85 ′ and/or sediment,  78  and  78 ′. In some cases, some or all of the contained sediment portion  78  and uncontained sediment portion  78 ′, and/or the contained mud portion  85  and the uncontained mud portion  85 ′ of the bottom  80  of the body of water  83  may contain levels of chemical contamination, such that the levels of chemical contamination may be unhealthful or toxic to people, wildlife, such as fish, or plant life living in the body of water  83 . The chemical contamination may be heavy metals such as mercury, lead, or other metals such as chromium, magnesium, manganese, copper, or organics, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB&#39;s), dioxins, or halogenated or aromatic solvents such as trichloroethylene, toluene or benzene. Said levels may be as low as 0 to 100 parts per trillion by weight, for example, or at the minimum detection limit of modern analytical instruments for quantifying the level of chemical contamination. In cases for which the levels of contamination may be unhealthful or toxic, it may be desirable or necessary to remove the chemically contaminated portions from the bottom  80  using the apparatus  100  as depicted in  FIG. 1 . 
     The vessel  110  may comprise: viewing devices  105   a  and  105   b , such as waterproof cameras, may be used to display the contained area  93 . The vessel  110  may be a compartment-box or any other appropriate container having water-proof walls. The vessel  110  may be made of rigid material such as plastic, rubber or metal. Alternatively, the vessel  110  may be made of flexible material such as flexible rubber. The vessel  110  may have any appropriate solid geometric shape such as polygon, cubic, cylindrical, spherical, pyramidal, rhomboid or conical. Conduits  70  may house coaxial cables or other appropriate wiring to supply the viewing devices  105   a  and  105   b  with electricity and to provide a data highway over which pictures of the contained area  93  may be projected to another location for remote viewing. In addition, the viewing devices may be equipped with lights for illuminating the contained area  93 , such as waterproof electrically powered lights or with light sticks that may be illuminated by chemiluminescence. 
     The apparatus  100  may comprise a “closed loop” piping system  45 , wherein a portion of the “closed loop” piping system  45  may be defined by paths GA, IM, and LN from vessel  110  via exit lines  145   a ′,  145   b ′ and  145   c ′ respectively, and processing system feed line  60  to a process system  140 , such as a filter system, via a valve  51 , wherein the process system  140  may include a pump. A remaining portion of the “closed loop” piping system  45  may be defined by paths DH, EJ, and FK to vessel  110  via return lines  147   a ′,  147   b ′, and  147   c ′ respectively, and process system exit lines  62 ,  149 , and  151  via valves  52  and  53 . In addition to the filtering system and the pump, the process system  140  may include viewing, monitoring, pressure, and vacuum control, material transport, testing, tooling, and treatment technologies. The treatment technologies may include the aforementioned treatments, for example, removal of toxic chemicals or elements by chemical treatments using additives, reducers, catalysts, microbes, stabilizers, adhesives, charged particles, gases, or elements. The apparatus  100 , including the process system  140 , may bring a controlled clinical setting out of the laboratory and into the environment. The apparatus  100  also may include isolation valves  50 - 55 , and  69 . The growth packet  780 , as depicted in  FIG. 4  and described in associated text, may be pumped by systems such as the apparatuses  100  or  200  or planting systems  1000 , or  3000 , depicted in  FIGS. 1, 2B, 6A, 9, and 10 , infra, used to pump growth packets  900  and  3110  into soil whether above or below waterline as in river bottoms for soil erosion control. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , when bottom  80  of the body of water  83  may be contaminated with chemicals that may be toxic to animals and humans such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or trichloroethylene (TCE) or heavy metals such as Pb, As, Cu, or Hg, the chemical contamination may concentrate in the water and suspended sediment  150  and  152  of the body of water  83 , and/or in the precipitated sediment  78  and  78 ′, and/or in the mud  85  and  85 ′, and/or on the bedrock  87  of the bottom  80  of a body of water  83 . The sediment  78  and  78 ′ may include silt particles, wherein fine silt has a diameter from about 0.002 mm to about 0.006 mm, medium silt has a diameter from about 0.006 mm to about 0.02 mm, and coarse silt may be from about 0.02 mm to about 0.063 mm. Cleanup processes involving removal of chemical contamination often target removal or cleansing treatment of the sediment  78  and  78 ′, such as silt, because the highest concentration of chemical contaminants may be in the water and suspended sediment  150  and  152  and/or the precipitated sediment  78  and  78 ′ due to a higher surface area of the sediment compared to larger particles of mud  85  and  85 ′. 
     A deficiency of commonly used methods of removal of contaminated sediment, such as dredging of contaminated material may be that only a small percentage, sometimes less than 10 percent by weight of the contaminated material, may be actually removed. Commonly used methods of dredging to remove contaminated sediment typically use an open mouthed bucket, such that the water and suspended sediment  150  and  152 , the sediment  78  and  78 ′, and the mud  85  and  85 ′ may escape back into the body of water  83  by leaking out of the bucket through the open mouth. Sediment having small diameter such as sediment in the water and suspended sediment  150  and  152 , sediment  78  and  78 ′, such as silt, and/or in the mud  85  and  85 ′, that may be light and fluffy by nature, may be hard to contain during commonly used methods of removal of contaminated sediment, such as, for example, dredging operations in the open mouth bucket, for example. A purpose of the present invention may be to overcome at least one deficiency of dredging by providing a container, such as the vessel  110 , that may be used to essentially completely contain the contaminated material that may be in the body of water  83 , such that when the contaminated materials may be contained in the vessel  110 , (and the vessel  210  depicted in  FIGS. 2A and 2B  and described herein) “the contaminated materials may be essentially quantitatively removed or essentially quantitatively converted to, for example, non-toxic or harmless chemical derivatives. 
     A second purpose of the present invention may be to overcome the at least one deficiency of dredging by providing a container, such as the vessels  110 , (and the vessel  210  depicted in  FIGS. 2A and 2B  and described herein) that may be used to contain greater than 10% by weight of the contaminated material that may be in the body of water  83 , such that when the contaminated materials may be contained in the vessel  110 , the contaminated materials may be essentially quantitatively removed or essentially quantitatively converted to, for example, non-toxic or harmless chemical derivatives. Hereinafter, “non-toxic or harmless chemical derivatives” include carbon dioxide, water, and/or hydrogen chloride. Hereinafter, “essentially quantitative removal or essentially quantitative conversion” of the chemical contamination means removal or conversion of essentially 100% by weight of the essentially completely contained contaminated materials. Hereinafter, “contaminated materials” may include portions of the water and suspended sediment  150  and  152 , the precipitated sediment  78  and  78 ′, the mud  85  and  85 ′ and the bedrock  87  that have been contaminated with chemicals that may be toxic or harmful to people, wildlife, or vegetation. Alternatively, “contaminated materials” may include portions of the water and suspended sediment  150  and  152 , the precipitated sediment  78  and  78 ′, the mud  85  and  85 ′ and the bedrock  87  that have been tainted by other forms of waste such as sewage, sludge or industrial waste that may foul a body of water  83 . 
     The contaminated material in the bottom  80  of the body of water  83  may be located as to longitude and latitude coordinates in the bottom  80  of the body of water  83 , such as in the locations  89  and  91 , by testing samples from the locations  89  and  91 , using any appropriate testing method for detecting and/or quantifying parts per trillion levels or higher of the chemicals or other form of waste, and mapping the concentrations of the contaminants, such as chemical contaminants, from locations  89  and  91  according to the longitude and latitude coordinates from which the sample(s) originated. Hereinafter, mapping means creating a map showing locations on the surface of the earth, as to longitude and latitude coordinates, that may relate concentrations of the contaminants, such as chemical contaminants, according to the longitude and latitude coordinates (e.g. of locations  89  and  91 ) from which the samples were taken. The longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates of the locations  89  and  91  may be determined using any appropriate mapping system, such as, for example, a Geographical Positioning System (GPS)  40 . If tests show the concentration of the contamination, such as chemical contamination, at a location, e.g.  89  or  91 , may be sufficiently high designating the locations as being harmful or toxic to people, wildlife or vegetation, because of sufficiently high contamination, such as chemical contamination, the apparatus  100  may be used to remove the contamination, such as the chemical contamination, as described infra in a method  600  for removing chemical contaminants, as depicted in  FIG. 3A . Even 1 part per trillion levels of certain chemical contaminants such as heavy metals, PCB&#39;s or dioxins have been found to be sufficiently high to warrant that the chemical contamination may be harmful or toxic to people, wildlife or vegetation. 
     In the step  620  of the method  600 , the apparatus  100  may be positioned over the location designated as having a level harmful to humans, wildlife or vegetation, such as over one or both locations  89  and  91  of the bottom  80  of the body of water  83 , as depicted in  FIG. 1 , resulting in essentially completely containing the contaminated material that may be in the regions  89  and/or  91 , such as in contaminated water and suspended sediment  152 , and/or in the contaminated precipitated sediment  78 , and/or in the contaminated mud  85 , and/or in the contaminated bedrock  87 , in the vessel  110 . 
     The vessel  110  may be “lowered” into position by mechanical or other means, in accordance with the step  620  of the method  600 , as described infra, and depicted in  FIG. 3A . By removing air/water/materials out of an interior  93  of the vessel  110 , as described in the step  650  of the method  600 , a weight of the vessel  110  may drive the edge  82  of the vessel  110  deeper into the bottom  80  of the body of water  83 , resulting in creating a releasable seal  95  at the edge  82  of the vessel  110 , that may be formed from sediment  78 ′ and mud  85 ′ of the bottom  80  outside of the vessel  110  pressing against the edge  82  and either sediment  78 , mud  85  or the bedrock  87 , depending on how deep the vessel  110  was driven. The releasable seal  95  thereby may isolate the interior  93  from the water  150 , and/or the bottom  80  of the body of water  83 , that may be outside the vessel  110 . 
     In the positioning step  620  of the method  600 , the vessel  110  may be partially submerged or completely submerged below the surface  170  of the body of water  83 , as long as the edge  82  directly and physically contacts the bottom  80  of the body of water  83 . 
     In the containing and suspending step  630  of the method  600 , paddles  125   a  and  125   b , such as augers, spray heads, whips, props, fluid and gas distribution devices, etc. may provide agitation of the interior  93  of the vessel  110 , resulting in suspending a portion or essentially all of the bottom material, e.g.,  78 , or  85  of the bottom  80  that may be contained in the interior  93  of the vessel  110 , wherein the suspended portion may include the contaminated material. The contaminated material may be a range from 0-100 percent by weight of the total material of the bottom  80  in the interior  93  of the vessel  110 . 
     In the step  630 , a rate of agitation necessary to suspend the contaminated material, for example, in locations  89  and  91  may be empirically determined, based on the weight percent of the bottom material targeted for removal, wherein higher agitation may be needed to suspend more of the portion of the bottom  80  having contaminated material. The contaminated suspended material in the water and suspended material  152  may be conveyed through the “closed loop” piping system  45  to a processing system  140  such as a filter system having in-line chemical testing equipment in order to identify the suspended materials that may be contaminated and to separate them from a fluid such as water in the suspended material and water  152 . In one embodiment, the identified suspended material that may be contaminated can be conveyed from the interior  93  of the vessel  110  through the exit lines  145   a ′,  145   b ′ and  145   c ′, through the processing system feed line  60 , through the valve  51  to the processing system  140  where the contaminated suspended materials may be removed. The separated fluid can be recycled back into the vessel  110  through the valve  53 , the process system exit lines  62  and  149 , the valve  52 , the process system exit line  51 , the return lines  147   a ′,  147   b ′, and  147   c ′, and finally back to the interior  93  of the vessel  110 . A rate of removal of contaminated materials such as, e.g., contaminated soil and silt, from the vessel  110  and rate of return of the processed fluids and processed contaminated material, such as, e.g., soil and silt, to the vessel  110  may be controlled such that an essentially net zero pressure difference may be measured between the interior  93  and the outside of the vessel  110 , e.g. at the open rim  90  of the vessel  110 , and at the releasable seal  95  that may be formed from bottom  80 , e.g., sediment  78 ′ and mud  85 ′ of the bottom  80 , outside of the vessel  110  that may releasably seal the edge  82  onto either sediment  78 , mud  85  or the bedrock  87 , depending how deep the vessel  110  was driven. Therefore, in the steps  650 - 660 , essentially no contaminated suspended material may escape from the essentially complete containment provided by the apparatus  100  during operation of the “closed loop” piping system  45  as described in the steps  610 - 670  of the method  600 , as described infra and depicted in  FIG. 3A . “Additives” or “reducers” (catalysts, microbes, stabilizers, adhesives, charged particles, gases, elements, known or unknown) can be fed from feed line  143  into the “closed loop” piping system  45  through valve  50 . 
     An efficiency of the processing system  140  may be determined by comparing a turbidity of the fluid in the return lines  147   a ′,  147   b ′, and  147   c ′ to the turbidity of the fluid and suspended soil and silt in the exit lines  145   a ′,  145   b ′ and  145   c ′. It has been found that the percent efficiency of removal of contaminated material by filtering may be essentially 100.0% if the processing system  140  may include 0.2 to 100 micron paper or cloth filters, wherein the percent efficiency may be determined by converting a ratio of the turbidity of the fluid into the processing system  140  and the turbidity of the fluid out of the processing system  140  to percent. Efficiency between 50% and 95% may be achieved using sand filters such as for filtering swimming pools, having #20 silica with a particle diameter of the sand being from about 0.40 mm to about 0.50 mm, available from Jandy, PO Box 6000, Petaluma, Calif. 94955-6000. Recommended sands may be sand grade 0.45 mm to about 0.55, having an average diameter of 0.46 mm, available from Wedron/Best Sand Company, or sand grade 0.45 mm to about 0.55 mm, having an average diameter of 0.48 mm, available from U.S. Silica/Silurian Filter Sand. Weight of sand for charging the filter may be determined by one skilled in the art with a minimum of experimentation based on choosing a weight of sand appropriate to filter 2.0 to 2.5 times the volume of suspended sediment and water in the vessel  110  per hour, without exceeding 50 psi internal pressure in the sand filter. The processing system  140  can be a micro-filtration system or a chemical reaction process that may be activated by light such as lasers, light emitting diodes including laser emitting diodes, UV or thermal energy. Once monitoring levels are met, recycled materials, such as the treated contaminated materials or growth packets  780  and  900 , as depicted in  FIGS. 1, 2B, 4 and 5 , infra, may be returned into the vessel  110 , through the closed-loop piping system  45 , enabling the materials to settle out, resulting in refilling the extraction site with soil or silt, wherein the chemical contamination has been sufficiently removed such that the soil or silt meets monitoring levels and wherein erosion of the river bottom  80  of the body of water  83  may be minimized because the returned recycled materials, such as filtered or processed soil or silt re-fills any holes left when the vessel  110  may be withdrawn for relocation to another contaminated location of the river bottom. 
     The vessel  110  allows for removals “in place” with continuous monitoring and minimal exposure to the surroundings. This process  140  exists for extraction without released re-suspension. 
     In one embodiment, the present invention solves the problem of containing the contaminated material by providing a resealable/sealable vessel  110  for sampling, viewing, monitoring, separating, testing, treating, injecting, replacing or removing contaminated materials that include silt, sludge, stone materials, ores, metals, or elements, etc. from a bottom  80  of a body of water  83 . 
     Generally, the present invention may be an apparatus  100  for sampling, viewing monitoring, separating, testing, treating, injecting, replacing or removing materials that include silt, sludge, stone materials, ores, metals, or elements, etc. from a bottom of a body of fluids, such as, for example, a chemically contaminated bottom  80  of a body of water  83 . The apparatus  100  may comprise an open-faced vessel  110 , a global positioning device  40 , and a closed loop piping system  45 . 
     The open faced vessel  110  may form a releasable seal  95  with the bottom  80  of the body of water  83  and may include at least one agitator  125   a ,  125   b ,  135   a ,  135   b ,  135   c ,  135   d , and  127  for suspending portions of contaminated materials from the bottoms such as, for example, silt, sludge, stone materials, ores, metals, or elements, etc. Power station  120  may provide power, such as, for example, mechanical or electrical power. The at least one agitator  125   a ,  125   b ,  135   a ,  135   b ,  135   c ,  135   d , and  127  may also may include at least one outlet port  145   a ,  145   b , and  145   c  through which a mixture of the portions of the bottoms and water may be withdrawn from the vessel  110  for monitoring, separating, testing, treating, injecting, replacing, or removing the portions. The agitators may be variable speed impellers  125   a  and  125   b , whip  127  or nozzles  135   a ,  135   b ,  135   c ,  135   d  for directing a stream of water or air at variable pressures from any appropriate device, such as, air or water jets  130 . The stream of water or air at variable pressure may be conveyed through transfer line  153 , branching through lines  65 ,  66 ,  67 , and  68  into nozzles  135   a ,  135   b ,  135   c , and  135   d , respectively. The area sampled may be any area equivalent to the area of contamination, such as, e.g., chemical contamination, limited only by practical considerations such as costs of materials and benefit from minimizing the number of relocations of the vessel  110  in order to sample the contaminated area. In one embodiment the vessel  110  or  210  (as depicted in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , and described herein) may be from about 1-1,000,000 sq. ft. to sample the area of contamination. The vessel  110 , impellers  125   a  and  125   b , whips  127  or nozzles  135   a ,  135   b ,  135   c ,  135   d  may be metal, or metal alloy, such as, for example, carbon steel, aluminum, stainless steel, rubber, plastic or composites. 
     The global positioning device (GPD)  40  or other appropriate computerized positioning device may be for determining a position of the vessel to within +/−0.12 inches of, for example, a known chemically contaminated site on the bottom  80  of the body of water  83 . 
     The process system  140  may include a two directional pump for circulating materials into and out of the vessel  110 . It may be possible for a vacuum or negative pressure to result in the vessel  110  if the closed loop piping system  45  may be under a vacuum when the contaminated materials, such as, for example, the water and suspended sediment,  152 , silt,  78 , or mud,  85  inside the vessel  110  may be removed from the vessel  110  and drawn into the piping system  45 , wherein the releasable seal  95  may prevent relief of the vacuum, such as, by leakage of materials, such as, for example, uncontaminated silt,  78 ′, uncontaminated mud,  85 ′ or uncontaminated water  150  into the vessel  110 . Alternatively, it may be possible for a positive pressure to result in the vessel  110  if the closed loop piping system  45  may be full of air or any other compressible fluid when the contaminated materials, such as, for example, the water and suspended sediment,  152 , silt,  78 , or mud,  85  inside the vessel  110  may be removed from the vessel  110  and drawn into the piping system  45 , wherein the releasable seal  95  may prevent relief of the pressure buildup by leakage of materials, such as, for example, the water and suspended sediment,  152 , silt,  78 , or mud,  85  out of the vessel  110 . A portion of the contaminated materials, such as, for example, sediment,  78 , such as silt, that may be higher in chemical contamination, may be removed from the water by the processing system  140 , such as, e.g., micro-filters, and water and remaining portions of the material, such as, for example, mud,  85 , may be returned to the vessel  110 . The processing system  140 , such as, e.g., the micro-filters may be cleaned to remove chemically contaminated materials, such as, e.g., silt or other micro-materials, with high frequency bursts of pressure or by ultra sonic bursts during periods when the “closed loop” apparatus  100  may be inactive. The monitoring may include testing for chemicals or elements, known, or unknown, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), dioxin, and other toxic chemical solvents such as trichloroethylene (TCE). The treatment may include, for example, removal of toxic chemicals or elements by, for example, chemical treatments using additives, reducers, catalysts, microbes, stabilizers, adhesives, charged particles, gases, or elements. Once treated, cleaned, separated materials, such as the portions absent the silt, may be returned to the bottom  80  of the body of water  83  via the closed loop piping system  45 . 
     In summary, the claimed invention may allow for removals “in place” with continuous monitoring and minimal exposure to the surroundings. The claimed process may extract toxic chemicals from portions of the bottom  80  or may remove silt and/or may return remaining portions of the bottoms in areas as small as 1 square feet with exact positioning within +/−0.12 inches of, for example, a known chemically contaminated site on the bottom of the body of water  83 .  FIGS. 2A and 2B  illustrate an apparatus  200 , such as an Open or Closed Loop Extraction Lunch Box, OCLELB, comprising at least one “open or closed loop” piping system(s)  188 , according to embodiments of the present invention. The apparatus  200  may comprise, illustratively, a vessel  210 , at least one pipe(s)  245   a ,  245   b ,  245   c ,  247   a ,  247   b ,  247   c , and  248 , at least one agitating device(s)  235   a ,  235   b ,  235   c ,  235   d ,  225   a ,  225   b , and  227 , at least one observing device(s)  205   a ,  205   a ′ and  205   b ,  205   b ′, at least one sample site(s)  310   a ,  310   b ,  310   c , and  310   d , at least one processing system(s)  320 , and/or a filter system  330 , and/or a by-pass system  340 , and/or a contaminants holding site  350 , and/or a clean holding site  360 , and/or an adder site  370 , and/or a pump  380 , and/or a power station  390 , and/or at least one isolation valve(s)  405 - 482 . The growth packet  780 , as depicted in  FIG. 4  and described in associated text, may be pumped by systems such as the apparatuses  100  or  200  or planting systems  1000 , or  3000 , depicted in  FIGS. 1, 2B, 6A, 9, and 10 , infra, used to pump growth packets  900  and  3110  into soil whether above or below waterline as in river bottoms for soil erosion control. 
     The vessel  210  may comprise an opening  210 ′ adapted for facing and being in direct physical contact with the bottom  180  of a body of water  250  so as to form a contained area  274  inside the vessel  210 . The body of water  220  may include water and suspended sediment  250  and bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , wherein the bottom  180  of the body of water  220  includes sediment  270  and bedrock  280 . The vessel  210  may be made of rigid material such as plastic, rubber or metal. Alternatively, the vessel  210  may be made of flexible material such as flexible rubber. The vessel  210  may have any appropriate solid geometric shape such as polygon, cubic, cylindrical, spherical, pyramidal, rhomboid or conical. The vessel  210  can be made of steel, plastic, or any material that can isolate and contain air and liquids. In one embodiment, a flexible skirt  185  may extend a rim  183  of the vessel  210 , to provide a flexible extension of the rim  183 , wherein the flexible skirt  185  may wrap around rocks or other solid debris on the bottom  180  of the body of water  250 , enabling the flexible skirt  185  of the vessel  210  to be in direct physical contact with the bottom  180  so as to isolate the contained area  274  of the vessel  210  from the outside of the vessel, even though the rim  183  may be prevented from physically contacting the bottom  180  because it may not be able to penetrate the rock or debris. 
     In one embodiment, the vessel  210  may comprise one or more hooks  214   a  and  214   b . Illustratively, the hook  214   b  can be used for coupling via cable  186  with a lifting device  182  such as a crane, wherein the lifting device  182  may be secured to a floating vessel  181  such as a boat or barge. 
     The vessel  210  can have any shape that facilitates its movement (lifting and lowering) in or out of the water or to enable it to circumvent rocks or debris on the bottom  180  of the body of water  250 . 
     In one embodiment, the at least one pipe(s)  248  can comprise an attachment  248 ″, wherein the attachment  248 ″ may be operatively coupled to the pipe  248  at an opening  248 ′ of the at least one pipe(s)  248 . The attachment  248 ″ may be a drill head or auger to facilitate inserting the at least one pipe(s)  248  into the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 . The attachment  248 ″ of the at least one pipe(s)  248 , when the attachment  248 ″ may be a drill head or auger, can be used for performing core sampling, wherein a core sample is a sample of soil or sediment from the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , as depicted in  FIG. 2A . In one embodiment, with the help of the attachment  248 ″, such as, for example, the drill head or auger, the at least one pipe(s)  248  may be inserted into the bottom of the body of water  220  such that a column of the bottom materials (i.e., a core sample) may be inserted into the interior of the at least one pipe(s)  248 . The attachment  248 ″, such as the drill head or auger, may be mounted on a drill head or auger sled for easy positioning, such as the planting sled  1040  of the apparatus  1000  as depicted in  FIGS. 6A and 9  and described herein, wherein the attachment  248 ″, such as the drill head or auger may be substituted for the ram piston  3220 , as depicted in  FIG. 10 , infra. Then, the core sample can be transported via the at least one pipe(s)  248  out of the interior  274  of the vessel  210  for testing. 
     Alternatively the attachment  248 ″ may be a filter.  FIG. 12 , infra, depicts a transverse cross section of the attachment  248 ″, when the attachment  248 ″ may be a filter. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , each of the at least one agitating device(s)  235   a ,  235   b ,  235   c , and  235   d  can be in the form of a nozzle through which a fluid (usually water) may be pumped under high pressure into the interior  274  of the vessel  210  so as to agitate the materials inside the vessel  210 . Each of the at least one agitating device(s)  225   a  and  225   b  can be an impeller having multiple blades. The at least one agitating devices  225   a  and  225   b  can be powered by a power station  390 . 
     The at least one agitating device(s)  227  can have the form of a whip having multiple branches. Each branch may have a hollow core through which water (or other fluids) can be pumped under high pressure into the interior  274  of the vessel  210  so as to agitate the materials inside the vessel  210 . The whip  227  can spin or rotate while water may be being pumped through it into the interior  274  of the vessel  210 . Similar to the at least one device(s)  225   a  and  225   b , the at least one agitating device(s)  227  can also be powered by the power station  390 . 
     In one embodiment, the at least one observing device(s)  205   a ,  205   a ′ can comprise a sonar head  205   a  and a sonar display  205   a ′. The sonar head  205   a  can be used for collecting information about the thickness of the sediment layer  270 . The sonar display  205   a ′ can be used for displaying the information collected by the sonar head  205   a.    
     In one embodiment, the at least one observing device(s)  205   b ,  205   b ′ can comprise a camera  205   b  and a display  205   a ′. The camera  205   b  can be used for collecting image data inside the vessel  210 . The display  205   a ′ can be used for displaying the image data collected by the camera  205   b . The camera  205   b  can include a light bulb (not shown) that can emit light sufficiently strong for viewing the entire interior  274  of the vessel  210 . In one embodiment, the at least one observing device(s)  205   b ,  205   b ′ can be used as a camera for determining if the vessel  210  may be lowered upon an uneven bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , such as a river bottom or upon a rock or debris at the river bottom. If so, the position of the vessel  210  can be adjusted such that the edge of the vessel  210  would touch the river bottom so as to isolate the interior  274  of the vessel  210  from the outside of the vessel  210 . 
       FIG. 3A  illustrates a flow chart of a method  600  for transporting materials from a bottom of a body of water for processing, the method comprising (a) providing a vessel including an opening, (b) positioning the vessel such that the opening may be facing the bottom of the body of water and may be in direct physical contact with the bottom of the body of water, (c) containing and suspending the materials inside the vessel, (d) providing a first pipe coupled to the vessel, and (e) transporting, via the first pipe, the suspended materials from an interior of the vessel to an exterior of the vessel. The method  600  can be used for operating the apparatus  200  of  FIGS. 2A and 2B , according to embodiments of the present invention. With reference to  FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 3A , the method  600  starts at step  610  in which a vessel  210  having an opening  210 ′ may be provided. Then, in step  620 , the vessel  210  may be positioned at the bottom  180  of the body of water  220  such as the bottom of a river (or any other body of water). 
     In one embodiment, the vessel  210  may be positioned, wherein the opening  210 ′ may face a location  190  of contaminated material such as, for example, chemically contaminated material. The location  190  may have been positioned on a map as to its longitude and latitude coordinates using aforementioned chemical mapping techniques, such that an operator of the apparatus  200  may be able to position the apparatus  200  over the location  190  of contaminated material, as depicted in  FIG. 2A . In one embodiment, the operator of the apparatus  200  may lower the apparatus  200  by a crane  182  using the hooks  214   a  and  214   b  to the location  190  of a first untreated position at the bottom  180  of the body of water  220  such that the opening  210 ′ may be facing the bottom  180 . In one embodiment, the location  190  of the first untreated position may be located using a GPS device  255 . In one embodiment, the pump  380  may pull materials including air, water, bottom material such as sediment and/or mud from the interior  274  of the vessel  210  via the at least one pipe(s)  245   a ,  245   b , and  245   c , resulting in drawing a rim  183  into the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , such as the river bottom, such that the rim  183  may have physically and directly contacted the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , resulting in forming a releasable seal  257  with the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , such as a river bottom. In some embodiments, no air/water may remain inside the vessel  210 . The pump  380  can continue to pull air/water out of the vessel  210  so as to further decrease the pressure inside the vessel  210 . As a result, the vessel  210  may be releasably sealed into the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , such as the sediment layer  270  above the bedrock  280 . In general, the pump  380  can be used for moving suspended materials  252 ′ throughout the apparatus  200 , resulting in removal or chemical conversion of the contaminated material from the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 . As a result, materials may flow from the interior  274  of the vessel  210  out of the vessel  210 . Also, pumping materials into the interior  274  of the vessel  210  after completing methods  600  or  700  may release the releasable seal  257 , allowing the vessel  210  to release from the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , such as the river bottom. The pump  380  can also be used for pumping materials (mostly water) out of the vessel  210  so as to decrease the pressure inside the vessel  210 . As a result, materials will flow into the interior  274  of the vessel  210  from the at least one pipe(s)  147   a, b, c . Also, pumping materials out of the vessel  210  may increase a strength of the releasable seal  257  between the vessel  210  and the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , such as the river bottom. 
     In one embodiment, the vessel  210  may be designed to be airtight on all sides except the opening  210 ′. As a result, when the vessel  210  has been inserted in the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , such as the sediment layer  270  at the bottom of the river, the materials inside the vessel  210  (i.e., in the interior  274 ) may be essentially completely isolated from an exterior of the vessel  210 . 
     Next, in step  630 , materials inside the vessel  210  may be essentially completely contained and suspended inside the vessel  210 . In the containing and suspending step  630  of the method  600 , paddles  225   a  and  225   b , such as augers, spray heads, whips, props, fluid and gas distribution devices, etc. may provide agitation of the interior  252  of the vessel  210 , resulting in suspending a portion or essentially all of the bottom material, e.g.,  270 , or  280  of the body of water  220  that may be contained in the interior  252  of the vessel  210 , wherein the suspended portion may include the contaminated material. In one embodiment, the at least one agitating device(s)  235   a ,  235   b ,  235   c ,  235   d ,  225   a ,  225   b , and  227  may be operated to suspend the contaminated material in the mixture  252 ′ in the interior  252  of the vessel  210 . As a result, the contaminated materials in the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , such as, e.g., the contaminated materials in the sediment layer  270  may form a mixture  252 ′ by removing contaminated materials from the sediment layer  270  and interspersing the contaminated materials with water in the interior  252  of the vessel  210 . As long as agitation continues, the contaminated materials such as, e.g., the contaminated sediment in the mixture  252 ′ do not precipitate to the bottom. In other words, the contaminated sediment materials in the mixture  252 ′ may be said to be suspended in the mixture  252 ′. In step  630 , the mixture  252 ′ that may contain contaminated sediment materials may be essentially completely contained and suspended in the mixture  252 ′ in the interior  252  of the vessel  210 . 
     Then, in step  640 , an at least one pipe(s)  245  may be provided which may be coupled to the vessel  210 . In one embodiment, the at least one pipe(s)  245  may branch as at least one branch pipe(s)  245   a ,  245   b , and  245   c . Then, in step  650 , the materials suspended inside the vessel  210  may be transported out of the vessel  210  through the pipe  245  for processing. More specifically, the mixture  252 ′ containing the removed and suspended contaminated sediment materials may be transported out of the vessel  210  via the pipe  245  for processing. 
     Each of the at least one isolation valve(s)  405 - 482  can be either open or closed. If open, the at least one isolation valve(s)  405 - 482  may allow fluid to pass through. When closed, the valve(s) prevents fluid from passing through. The valves  405 - 482  in the apparatus  200  can be used for isolating different portions of the apparatus  200 . By opening some of the valves  405 - 482  and closing the remaining valves, materials can be carried around the apparatus  200  along a desired path for processing. In one embodiment, in order to keep the pressure inside the vessel  210  unchanged, materials (e.g., air or water) may be allowed to flow from the clean holding site  360  to the interior  274  of the vessel  210  via the at least one valve(s)  446 ,  464 , and  470 , and the at least one pipe(s)  247   a ,  247   b , and  247   c . The clean holding site  360  can be used for holding a filtrate transported from the interior  274  of the vessel  210  via the filtering system  330 . The materials in the clean holding site  360  can undergo further processing and treatment before being either transported back into the interior  274  of the vessel  210  or shipped elsewhere. The adder site  370  can be used for holding materials to be added to the interior  274  of the vessel  210 . In one embodiment, each of the at least one valve(s)  446 ,  464 , and  470  may be configured to become open when the pressure difference between its two ends exceeds some pre-specified value. As a result, when the mixture  252 ′ containing the removed sediment materials may be pumped out of the vessel  210  via the pipe  245 , the at least one valve(s)  446 ,  464 , and  470  may automatically open to allow materials (e.g., air and/or water and/or treatment chemicals to convert toxic or harmful contaminants into carbon dioxide, water or HCl) to flow from the clean holding site  360  to the interior  274  of the vessel  210 . Therefore, the pressure inside the vessel  210  may remain unchanged. 
     Then, in step  660 , the materials transported out of the vessel  210  may be processed outside the vessel  210 . In one embodiment, the mixture  252 ′ containing the removed contaminated sediment can be transported from inside the vessel  210  to the processing system  320  via the at least one pipe(s)  245   a ,  245   b , and  245   c  (i.e., the branches off pipe  245 ) and the at least one valves  432  and  410 . In the processing system  320 , the mixture  252 ′ can undergo thermal, chemical, radiation, or other processes so as to treat (remove, alter, etc.) the contaminants from the mixture  252 ′ so they become less or nontoxic. After processing, the mixture  252 ′ can be transported either back to the interior  274  of the vessel  210  via the at least one valve(s)  412 ,  422 ,  436 ,  464 , and  470  and the at least one pipe(s)  247   a ,  247   b , and  247   c  or to the clean holding site  360  via the at least one valve(s)  412 ,  422 ,  436 , and  446 . The materials in the clean holding site  360  can be returned to the interior  274  of the vessel  210  via the at least one valve(s)  446 ,  464 , and  470 , and the at least one pipe(s)  247   a ,  247   b , and  247   c.    
     In one embodiment, the mixture  252 ′ can be transported to the filtering system  330  via the at least one valve(s)  440  so that contaminants in the mixture  252 ′ can be filtered out. The filtered contaminants can be periodically removed from the filter system  330 . The remaining mixture after filtering can be transported either back to the interior  274  of the vessel  210  via the at least one valve(s)  442 ,  454 ,  462 , and  470  and the at least one pipe(s)  247   a ,  247   b , and  247   c  or to the clean holding site  360  via the at least one valve(s)  442 ,  444 , and  446 . The materials in the clean holding site  360  can be returned to the interior  274  of the vessel  210  via the at least one valve(s)  446 ,  464 , and  470 , and the at least one pipe(s)  247   a ,  247   b , and  247   c.    
     In one embodiment, the mixture  252 ′ containing the removed sediment materials can be transported from inside the vessel  210  to the contaminants holding site  350  via the at least one pipe(s)  245   a ,  245   b , and  245   c , the valve  450 , the by-pass system  340 , and the at least one valve(s)  452 ,  454 ,  444 ,  436 , and  424 . In the contaminants holding site  350 , the mixture may undergo processes similar to those in the processing system  320  described above. After being processed at the contaminants holding site  350 , the mixture can be transported either back to the interior  274  of the vessel  210  via the at least one valve(s)  424 ,  436 ,  464 , and  470  and the at least one pipe(s)  247   a ,  247   b , and  247   c  or to the clean holding site  360  via the at least one valve(s)  424 ,  436 , and  446 . The materials in the clean holding site  360  can be returned to the interior  274  of the vessel  210  via the at least one valve(s)  446 ,  464 , and  470  and the at least one pipe(s)  247   a ,  247   b , and  247   c.    
     The concentration of contaminants may be monitored along the at least one path(s) by locating an at least one sample site(s)  310   a ,  310   b ,  310   c , and  310   d  on the at least one path(s) of the mixture  252 ′ from the vessel  210  before and after processing. 
     More specifically, the sample site  310   a  may be directly coupled via the valve  431  to a node A 1  which the mixture  252 ′ from the inside of the vessel  210  flows through before going to different destinations. Here, “directly coupled” means that there may be no processing in between. As a result, samples of the mixture  252 ′ before processing can be taken via the valve  431  from the sample site  310   a , such that the concentration of the contaminants in the mixture  252 ′ before processing can be measured. In one embodiment, in the step  670  of the method  600 , when the measured concentration of the contaminants may be below a pre-specified level, the processing may be stopped and either (i) the vessel  210  may be lifted from the current location and lowered and inserted into another location on the bottom of the body of water  220  or (ii) more sediment materials from the top of the sediment layer  270  may be removed by agitation as described above for further processing. In one embodiment, the pre-specified level of contaminants can be specified by the owner(s) of the body of water  250  ( FIG. 2A ) or authorities responsible for cleaning the sediment  270  ( FIG. 2A ). 
     Similarly, the sample site  310   b  may be directly coupled via the valve  434  to a node A 2  which the mixture  252 ′ from the filtering system  330  exits through before going to different destinations. As a result, samples of the mixture  252 ′ after filtering can be taken via the valve  434  to the sample site  310   b  where the concentration of the contaminants in the mixture after filtering can be measured so that the quality of the filtering process can be monitored. 
     Similarly, the sample site  310   c  may be directly coupled via the valve  460  to a node A 3  which the mixture  252 ′ after processing flows through before returning to the interior  274  of the vessel  210  via the at least one pipe(s)  247   a ,  247   b , and  247   c . As a result, the sample site  310   c  can be used for monitoring a concentration of contaminants in the mixture  252 ′ that flows back to the interior  274  of the vessel  210 , after processing. 
     Similarly, the sample site  310   d  may be directly coupled via the valve  414  to a node A 4  which the mixture  252 ′ from the processing system  320  exits through before going to different destinations. As a result, samples of the mixture  252 ′ after processing can be taken via the valve  414  to the sample site  310   d  where the concentration of the contaminants in the mixture after processing can be measured so that the quality of the processes performed in the processing system  320  can be monitored. 
     In step  670 , a determination may be made as to whether the materials transported out of the vessel  210  may be sufficiently clean (i.e., the concentration of the contaminants in the resulting mixture  252 ′ has been reduced to a pre-specified level). If the answer may be negative, the method  600  loops back to step  650 . In other words, suspended materials continue to be transported out of the vessel  210  (step  650 ) and processed (step  660 ) so as to remove contaminants. If the answer to the question in step  670  is affirmative, the method  600  may stop. Then, the vessel  210  may be removed from the current location and positioned at another location on the bottom  80  of the body of water  83 , and the method  600  may be performed again. In one embodiment, after the sediment layer  270  inside the vessel  210  has been treated to a satisfactory level (i.e., the concentration of the contaminants in the resulting mixture  252 ′ has been reduced to a pre-specified level), a contaminants map may be updated to indicate that the current location has been treated. Then, a determination may be made as to whether the current location may be the last one to be treated. If the answer is negative, the vessel  210  can be lifted and lowered to the next untreated location using a lifting device such as a crane  182  coupled to the hooks  214   a  and  214   b . If the answer to the question is affirmative, the operation may be concluded. 
       FIG. 3B  illustrates a flow chart of a method  700  for processing contaminated material at a bottom of a body of water, the method comprising (a) providing a vessel including an opening, (b) placing the vessel such that the opening may be facing a layer of contaminated material on the bottom of the body of water and may be in direct physical contact with a top layer of the contaminated material, (c) containing and suspending, within the vessel, the contaminated material in an interior of the vessel, and (d) suspending the contaminated material until a pre-specified thickness of the top layer of the contaminated material may be suspended in the interior of the vessel. The method  700  can be used for operating the apparatus  200  of  FIGS. 2A and 2B , according to embodiments of the present invention. The step  710  of the method  700  may be similar to the steps  610  of the method  600 . In other words, in step  710 , the vessel  210  having the opening  210 ′ may be provided. In step  720 , the vessel  210  may be placed at the first untreated location at the bottom  80  of the body of water  83 , such as the river bottom. 
     In step  730 , materials inside the vessel  210  may be contained and suspended inside the vessel  210 . In one embodiment, the at least one agitating device(s)  235   a ,  235   b ,  235   c ,  235   d ,  225   a ,  225   b , and  227  may be operated to stir up (i.e., agitate) the water  252 , that may be inside vessel  210 . A chemical contamination map may be used which shows how deep the sediment layer  270  may be contaminated with a certain contaminant. In step  740 , the materials suspended in step  730  may be processed to eliminate the contaminants. In step  750 , a determination may be made as to whether a pre-specified thickness of the sediment layer  270  may be suspended in the mixture  252 ′ inside the vessel  210 . If the answer is negative, the method  700  loops back to step  730 . In other words, steps  730  and  740  may be performed until the pre-specified thickness of the sediment layer  270  may be suspended in the mixture  252 ′ inside the vessel  210 . If the answer to the question in step  750  is affirmative, the method  700  stops. After that, the vessel  210  can be lifted and placed at another untreated location  190  of the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , and the method  700  may be performed again at the other untreated location. In one embodiment, the at least one observing device(s)  205   a ,  205   a ′ and  205   b ,  205   b ′ can be used to monitor the thickness of the sediment layer  270  so as to determine whether agitation has reached the desired depth. For example, assume, according to the contaminant map, that at the location where the vessel  210  may be inserted into the sediment layer  270 , the thickness of the sediment layer  270  may be 25 inches. Assume further that only the top 10 inches of the sediment layer  270  contain the contaminant according to the contaminant map. As a result, the at least one agitating device(s)  235   a ,  235   b ,  235   c ,  235   d ,  225   a ,  225   b , and  227  may be allowed to operate until the at least one observing device(s)  205   a ,  205   a ′ and  205   b ,  205   b ′ determine that the thickness of the sediment layer  270  has been reduced to 15 inches. 
     In one embodiment, the step  740  of the method  700  can be similar to the step  660  of the method  600 . In other words, the mixture  252 ′ containing the suspended sediment materials can be transported out of the vessel  210  via the at least one pipe(s)  245   a ,  245   b , and  245   c  for treatment. Alternatively, in step  740 , the mixture  252 ′ can be treated inside the vessel  210  instead of being transported out of the vessel  210  for processing (treatment). In one embodiment, treating chemicals can be added using the adder site  370  ( FIG. 2B ). As described above, the agitation and treating processes (i.e., steps  730  and  740 , respectively) may be stopped when agitation reaches the desired depth. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a growth packet  780  for improving the environment, according to embodiments of the present invention. The growth packet  780  may comprise an outer wall  790 , that may contain plants (e.g., cuttings, roots, tubers, seeds, etc.), nutrients, and soil organisms (not shown) necessary to accelerate plant growth in a green house growing effect that shelters new growth from the forces of nature. Hereinafter, a tuber may be a stem of a plant having buds, or eyes in the axils of minute scale leaves of the tuber, wherein the buds or eyes may grow into new plants. In some embodiments, the growth packet  780  may be a “self-contained growth packet” when the outer wall  790  of the growth packet  780  may contain “self-contained growth materials”  795 , such as, for example, sufficient nutrients such as fertilizers, minerals, solid support, and/or such as, for example, soil around the roots of the incipient plant for the plant to grow even though it may be placed in an otherwise sterile and barren bed, such as, for example, a barren river bed, that may be barren because it may be devoid of said self-contained growth materials  795  such as the nutrients and solid support needed for the plant to grow. In one embodiment, reinforcing strings  793  can be used to help reinforce the growth packet  780 . In one embodiment, a diameter of the growth packet  780  may be from about one inch to twelve inches. 
     In one embodiment, the growth packet  780  can be prepackaged as a high-energy growing pod and may have any shape such as a round shape to facilitate easy planting, for example, in the river bed. 
     The growth packet  780  may be pumped by systems such as the apparatuses  100  or  200  or planting systems  1000 , or  3000 , depicted in  FIGS. 1, 2B, 6A, 9, and 10 , infra, used to pump growth packets  900  and  3110  into soil whether above or below waterline as in river bottoms for soil erosion control. Plants in the growth packet  780  may be selected that have a positive tropism to light, such that the plants will grow toward the source of light and will be properly oriented for growing toward the source of light regardless whether they may be pumped into the soil root down or stem down. 
     In one embodiment, the growth packet  780  may be designed such that its weight makes it sink into the soil at the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , as depicted in  FIG. 2A  and described supra. In an alternative embodiment, the growth packet  780  can be designed such that its weight allows it to float. In one embodiment, the growth packet  780  can be equipped with an air-bladder to float as in hydroponics farming. 
     In one embodiment, the growth packet  780  can be filled with soil and water organisms necessary to restart damaged ecology systems such as brown field sites, slag heaps, run off ponds, lagoons, fire sites, harbors, etc. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a growth packet  900  for improving the environment, according to embodiments of the present invention. The growth packet  900  may comprise plants (e.g., cuttings, roots, tubers, seeds, etc.), self-contained growth materials  915  such as, for example, nutrients, and soil organisms (not shown) necessary for sustaining and accelerating self-contained plant growth within an outer wall  910 . The growth packet  900  may shelter new growth from the forces of nature such as providing a green house environment, such that heat and carbon dioxide may be retained, while allowing absorption of light to generate the heat and promote photosynthesis in the plants. Self-contained plant growth may be plant growth from the growth packet  900  which may be nourished, sustained and/or accelerated by the self-contained materials  915  such as nutrients that may be inside the growth packet  900 . As a result, the growth packet  900  can be used in environments where there may be insufficient nutrients in the soil to support plant growth. 
     In one embodiment, the outer wall  910  can be made of porous material such as burlap, such that air and fluids, such as water moisture, can be exchanged between the interior and the exterior of the growth packet  900 , but the plants, self-contained materials  915  such as nutrients, and soil organisms may be confined inside the outer wall  910 . A porous outer wall  910 , such as one made from Burlap material, may enable plant growth to penetrate the material. In one embodiment, reinforcing strings  920  can be used to help reinforce the growth packet  900 . In one embodiment, the size of the growth packet  900  may be from about one inch to twelve inches in diameter. In one embodiment, the contents inside the growth packet  900  may be in conformity with local laws, environment-friendly, and in harmony with the surrounding vegetation. In one embodiment, the self-contained materials contained inside the growth packet  900  may comprise bee plant vitamins, nutrients, pH buffers that buffer the pH from about pH=4 to about pH=10, gases such as carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), salts of phosphoric acid, pre-grown plants, and combinations thereof, that may be used to revitalize, sustain, and/or accelerate plant growth from the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , as depicted in  FIG. 2A  and described supra. The plant growth from the growth packet  900  may be used to replenish oxygen in waters in which oxygen has been depleted. Oxygen depletion may result from contamination of a body of water by phosphates. The phosphates may be released through urban and agricultural activities, including sewage treatment plant discharges and run-off of fertilizer from farmlands and, once in the body of water, the phosphates enable the heavy growth of algae. Algal die-off begins as the cells age, at which time the algae become very concentrated such as in early summer so that light penetration may be diminished. The dead cells fall to the bottom and may be decomposed by bacteria, which use a considerable amount of oxygen in the process necessary for fish and other life forms in the water. 
     In one embodiment, the growth packet  900  may comprise masses  930   a  and  930   b  scattered inside the growth packet  900 . Alternatively, the masses  930   a  and  930   b  can be outside but tied to the growth packet  900 . Although only two masses  930   a  and  930   b  may be illustratively shown here, in general, any number of masses like the masses  930   a  and  930   b  can be used. The masses  930   a  and  930   b  can be any objects having their weights sufficiently large so as to make the growth packet  900  sink to and stay at the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , as depicted in  FIG. 2A  and described supra. Once settled at the bottom  180  of the bottom of the body of water  220 , plant growth from the growth packet  900  may grow upright. In one embodiment, the masses  930   a  and  930   b  can be made of a degradable material, e.g., a metal that can dissolve in the body of water  220  such that the seedlings, seeds may continue to grow in the growth packet  900 , resulting in protecting the environment. 
     In one embodiment, the growth packet  900  may comprise floating objects  940   a  and  940   b  scattered inside the growth packet  900 . Alternatively, the floating objects  940   a  and  940   b  can be outside but tied to the growth packet  900 . Although only two floating objects  940   a  and  940   b  may be illustratively shown here, in general, any number of floating objects like the floating objects  940   a  and  940   b  can be used. The floating objects  940   a  and  940   b  have light weights and large volumes so as to make the growth packet  900  float. In one embodiment, the floating objects  940   a  and  940   b  can be made of a degradable material, e.g., a metal that can dissolve in the body of water  220  or a biodegradable fibrous material such as a textile material such as, for example, burlap, or starch, resulting in protecting the environment, as described supra. In one embodiment, the floating objects  940   a  and  940   b  can be air bladders. In one embodiment, multiple growth packets  900  can be tied together to form a floating habitat on the water surface. 
       FIG. 6A  illustrates a planting system  1000  which can be used for planting the growth packet  900  of  FIG. 5  into the sediment layer at the bottom  180  of a body of water  220 , as depicted in  FIG. 2A  and described supra, in accordance with a method  2000 , as depicted in  FIG. 7  and described infra. Illustratively, the planting system  1000  may comprise a supporting rig  1005 , such as a boat, a growth packet  900 , delivery sled  1040 , a growth packet pump  1010 , a growth packet container  1015 , a growth packet gate  1020 , and a transport pipe  1025 . The growth packet  900  planting sled  1040  comprises an aligning pipe  1030  operatively coupled via an extendable elbow B 3  to a slanted bar  1050 , that may provide alignment of the aligning pipe  1030  with the guide channels  1034  along a longitudinal axis of the sled  1040 , along an axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the sled  1040  and/or in a direction of an arrow  1045 . 
       FIG. 6B  illustrates a bottom view of the planting sled  1040  of  FIG. 6A . The operation of the planting system  1000  of  FIG. 6A  can be described infra with reference to  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 9 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a flow chart of a method  2000  for operating the apparatus of  FIG. 6A , according to embodiments of the present invention. With reference to  FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 7 , in the step  2100  of the method  2000 , the planting sled  1040  may be operably coupled to a front plow  1042  and a back plow  1044 . In the step  2200  of the method  2000 , the entire planting system  1000  can be coupled to the boat  1005  such that when the boat advances, the planting sled  1040  surfs along on the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , as depicted in  FIG. 2A  and described supra, creating a planting trench  1033 . In step  2250 , a growth packet  900  may be inserted into soil, such as sediment  1070 , as depicted in  FIG. 6A  and described supra, using an alignment sensor  3210  and ram piston  3220 . Alternatively, the growth packet  900  may be inserted into soil at an edge of a body of water or soil on a shoreline adjacent to the body of water. 
       FIG. 9 , infra, depicts the alignment sensor  3210  and the ram piston  3220  in an exploded view of a front elevation view of the planting sled  1040 . In step  2300 , while the planting sled  1040  surfs on the sediment layer  1070 , the back plow  1044  moves sediment materials into the trench  1033 . In the step  2250 , the slanted bar  1050  that may be operably coupled at B 1  to the rig  1005  and at B 2  to a vertical bar  1055 , may provide alignment in an x, y, and z axes of the sled  1040  wherein x and y may be the longitudinal and transverse axes in the same plane of the sled  1040  and z is the axis orthogonal to the x,y plane. In the step  2300  of the method  2000 , the back plow may be used to move soil such as sediment  1070  to fill the trench  1033  and cover the growth packet  900 , thereby disposing the growth packet  900  for growth. 
     In one embodiment, while the boat  1005  may be advancing in a direction of an arrow  1032 , the gate  1020  may be periodically opened. As a result, under the pressure created by the pump  1010 , any time the gate  1020  opens, one or more growth packets  900  may be pushed into the transport pipe  1025 , through the alignment pipe  1030 , and into the soil (i.e., sediment layer  1070 ) at the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , as described in  FIG. 2A  and described supra, via the opening  1034 . In one embodiment, the transport pipe  1025  may be flexible so that the relative positions of the container  1015  and the alignment pipe  1030  can change while the planting sled  1040  which can be tightly coupled to the alignment pipe  1030  surfs on the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , such as a river bottom. 
     In one embodiment, while the planting sled  1040  slides on the sediment surface  1065 , the plows  1042  and  1044  may be dragged in the sediment layer  1070 . The front plow  1042  dashes through the sediment materials and forms a trench  1033  along its path. The back plow  1044  moves after the front plow  1042  and moves sediment materials displaced by the front plow  1042  back into the trench  1033 . As a result, whenever a growth packet  900  exits the alignment pipe  1030  via the opening  1034 , the growth packet  900  may be planted in the trench  1033  dug by the front plow  1042 . Then, the back plow  1044  fills the trench  1033  with sediment materials burying the growth packet  900  in the trench  1033  in the process. 
     In one embodiment, the front plow  1042  extends deeper into the sediment layer  1070  than the back plow  1044 . As a result, when the growth packet  900  may be dropped at the bottom of the trench  1033 , formed by the front plow  1042 , the growth packet  900  may be below the sweep of the back plow  1044  making it easier for the back plow  1044  to bury the growth packet  900  in the trench  1033 . 
     If it may be desired to move the planting sled  1040  up a slope, the vertical bar  1055  may be drawn up by the hydraulic pump  1060  so as to enable the slanted bar  1050  that may be operably coupled to the boat  1005  to rotate around an axis B 1 . As a result, the planting sled  1040  can slide uphill. The vertical bar  1055  sliding in the sliding pipe  1060  which can be operably coupled to the boat  1005  provides the force to move the planting sled  1040 , as in surfing, along the soil of the bottom of the body of water, such as the sediment  1070 . 
     Similarly, if it may be desirable to move the planting sled  1040  down a slope, the slanted bar  1050  may be lowered by the hydraulic pump  1060  and the vertical bar  1055  so as to enable the slanted bar  1050  to rotate on the axis B 1 . Alternatively, the vertical bar  1055  may be pushed down by a spring loaded mechanism to exert a downward force on the slanted bar  1050 . As a result, the planting sled  1040  can slide downhill. 
     In one embodiment, a GPS (Global Positioning System)  1075  can be used with the planting system  1000  so as to ensure that the structures  900  may be planted at the desired locations at the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , such as a river bottom, as depicted in  FIG. 2A  and described supra. In other words, the use of the GPS  1075  helps the operator of the planting system  1000  keep track of the locations of the river bottom that have been planted with growth packet  900 . As a result, pre-specified areas of the river bottom can be revitalized by implanting the structures  900  using the planting system  1000 . 
     In one embodiment, a sonar device  1080  can be used with the planting system  1000  to help the operator of the planting system  1000  recognize obstacles at the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , such as a river bottom, as depicted in  FIG. 2A  and described supra. As a result, the operator can steer the planting sled  1040  around the obstacles (e.g., rocks, debris, etc.) at the bottom  180  of the body of water  220 , so as to avoid damage to the planting sled  1040 . 
     In the embodiment described above, the slanted bar  1050  may be directly coupled to the alignment pipe  1030 . Alternatively, the slanted bar  1050  can be directly coupled to the planting sled  1040 . 
       FIGS. 8 a - c    illustrate a top view of the vessel (or vessel)  110  of  FIG. 1  comprising a top plate  110   e  and four side plates  110   a ,  110   b ,  110   c , and  110   d  abutting and being coupled to four curtain plates  810 ,  820 ,  830 , and  840 , respectively, according to embodiments of the present invention. In one embodiment, each of the four curtain plates  810 ,  820 ,  830 , and  840  may be coupled to a pair of hydraulic rams which in turn may be coupled to the vessel  110 . More specifically, the curtain plate  810  may be coupled to rams  810   a  and  810   b . The curtain plate  820  may be coupled to rams  820   a  and  820   b . The curtain plate  830  may be coupled to rams  830   a  and  830   b . The curtain plate  840  may be coupled to rams  840   a  and  840   b.    
       FIGS. 8 a - c    illustrate a perspective view of the vessel  110  and the curtain plates  810 ,  820 ,  830 , and  840  of  FIGS. 8 a - c   , according to embodiments of the present invention. The curtain plate  810  may be coupled to the hydraulic ram  810   a  via a single-plane connector  810   e  and a piston  810   c . In addition, the curtain plate  810  may be coupled to the hydraulic ram  810   b  via a single-plane connector  810   f  and a piston  810   d . The curtain plate  810  may be coupled to the hydraulic ram  810   a ,  810   b  via a single-plane connector  810   e ,  810   f  and a piston  810   c ,  810   d . The piston  810   c ,  810   d  may be capable of sliding in and out inside the ram  810   a ,  810   b . The single-plane connector  810   e ,  810   f  may be tightly coupled to one end of the piston  810   c ,  810   d . As a result, the single-plane connector  810   e ,  810   f  can move only up and down while the piston  810   c ,  810   d  moves up and down inside the ram  810   a ,  810   b.    
     In like manner, the curtain plate  840  may be coupled to the hydraulic ram  840   a  via a single-plane connector  840   e  and a piston  840   c . In addition, the curtain plate  840  may be coupled to the hydraulic ram  840   b  via a single-plane connector  840   f  and a piston  840   d . The curtain plate  840  may be coupled to the hydraulic ram  840   a ,  840   b  via a single-plane connector  840   e ,  840   f  and a piston  840   c ,  840   d . The piston  840   c ,  840   d  may be capable of sliding in and out inside the ram  840   a ,  840   b . The single-plane connector  840   e ,  840   f  may be tightly coupled to one end of the piston  840   c ,  840   d . As a result, the single-plane connector  840   e ,  840   f  can move only up and down while the piston  840   c ,  840   d  moves up and down inside the ram  840   a ,  840   b.    
     Similarly, the curtain plate  810  may be coupled to the hydraulic ram  810   b  via a single-plane connector  810   f  and a piston  810   d . The piston  810   d  may be capable of sliding in and out inside the ram  810   b . The single-plane connector  810   f  may be tightly coupled to one end of the piston  810   d . As a result, the single-plane connector  810   f  can move only up and down while the piston  810   d  moves up and down inside the ram  810   b.    
     In one embodiment, each of the single-plane connectors  810   e  and  810   f  only enables the curtain plate  810  to rotate around it in a plane parallel to the side plate  110   a  of the vessel  110 . As a result, by adjusting the pistons  810   c  and  810   d , the curtain plate  810  can be pulled up, lowered down, and rotated around a plane parallel to the side plate  110   a  of the vessel  110 . In one embodiment, the other three curtain plates  820 ,  830 , and  840  may be coupled to the vessel  110  in a similar manner. 
     In one embodiment, the curtain plate  810  may be longer in length than its abutting side plate  110   a  of the vessel  110 . Similarly, the curtain plate  820  may be longer in length than its abutting side plate  110   b  ( FIG. 8 a - c   ) of the vessel  110 . However, the curtain plates  830  ad  840  may be of the same length as their abutting side plates  110   c  and  110   d , respectively, of the vessel  110 . 
       FIG. 8 a - c    illustrate the use of the four curtain plates  810 ,  820 ,  830 , and  840  for extending the side plates  110   a ,  110   b ,  110   c , and  110   d , respectively. In one embodiment, the vessel  110  may be lowered into a body of water but its top plate  110   e  may be kept above the water surface  860 . Then, the four curtain plates  810 ,  820 ,  830 , and  840  may be lowered down until they come into contact with the bottom of the body of water such that the vessel  110  and the curtain plates  810 ,  820 ,  830 , and  840  form with the bottom of the body of water an enclosed space inside the vessel  110 . In other words, the four curtain plates  810 ,  820 ,  830 , and  840  serve as extensions of the side plates  110   a ,  110   b ,  110   c , and  110   d  of the vessel  110 , respectively. 
     In one embodiment, the vessel  110  may be positioned in the body of water such that its top plate  110   e  may be either submerged or un-submerged and may be parallel to the water surface  860  of the body of water, and such that the slope direction of the bottom  850  of the body of water underneath the vessel  110  may be from the curtain plate  830  to the curtain plate  840 . A slope direction of a plane may be defined to be the direction of movement of a ball when let to roll freely on the plane under the effect of gravity. Then, the two curtain plates  830  and  840  can be lowered down vertically until they come into complete contact with the bottom  850  of the body of water. Each of the two curtain plates  810  and  820  can be lowered vertically and rotated clockwise in a plane parallel to its abutting side plate  110   a  or  110   b  until it comes into complete contact with the bottom  850  of the body of water. As a result of the curtain plates  810  and  820  being longer in length than the side plates  110   a  and  110   b , respectively, the curtain plates  810  and  820  can rotate to completely contact the bottom without creating an opening on the side of the vessel  110 , as shown in  FIG. 8 a   - c.    
     In one embodiment, each of the rams  810   a  and  810   b  can rotate in a plane parallel to the side plate  110   a  around a point tightly affixed to the vessel  110 . As a result, the curtain plate  810  can be moved horizontally by simultaneously rotating both the rams  810   a  and  810   b . This adds further flexibility in movement of the curtain plate  810 . 
     In one embodiment, similarly, each of the rams  820   a  and  820   b  can rotate in a plane parallel to the side plate  110   b  around a point tightly affixed to the vessel  110 . As a result, the curtain plate  820  can be moved horizontally by simultaneously rotating both the rams  820   a  and  820   b . This adds further flexibility in movement of the curtain plate  820 . 
     In the embodiments described above, the connectors  830   a  and  830   b  associated with the curtain plate  830  and the connectors  840   a  and  840   b  associated with the curtain plate  840  may be of single-plane type. Alternatively, these connectors  830   a ,  830   b ,  840   a , and  840   b  can be omitted. In that case, the curtain plates  830  can be soldered to the pistons  830   a  and  830   b , and the curtain plates  840  can be soldered to the pistons  840   a  and  840   b.    
     In one embodiment, the curtain plates  810 ,  820 ,  830 , and  840  and associated components (connectors, rams, and pistons) can be made of a stainless material. Their sizes may be sufficient to withstand the expected maximum forces exerted upon them. 
       FIG. 9  depicts an exploded side elevation view of the planting sled  1040 , as depicted in  FIG. 6A , supra, and described in associated text, illustrating an alignment sensor  3210  and a ram piston  3220 , wherein the alignment sensor  3210  may be operatively coupled to the ram piston  3220 . The alignment sensor  3210  may be used for aligning the ram piston  3220  with the at least one growth packet channel  1034 , wherein the alignment sensor  3210  may be located on a tip of the ram piston  3220  and the ram piston  3220  may be manually or computer controlled. The ram piston  3220  may slide within the aligning pipe  1030 , wherein the aligning pipe  1030  may be positioned manually, by an operator, or in an automated fashion, by the computer, anywhere along the xyz coordinates of the planting sled  1040 . The alignment sensor  3210  may be used for aligning the ram piston  3220  with the growth packet  900  channel  1034 . A purpose of the aligned ram piston  3220  may be to physically and directly drive the growth packet  900  through the channel  1034 , inserting the growth packet  900  into the trench  1033  that may have been made by movement of the forward plow  1042  in the direction of the arrow  1032  in the soil of the bottom  1065  of the body of water  1037 , such as sediment  1070 , as depicted in  FIG. 6A , and described herein. Alternatively, the ram piston  3220  may be used to physically and directly insert the growth packet  900  into soil on a shore alongside the body of water  1037  such as a river or into soil at an edge of the body of water  1037  and the shore. The alignment sensor  3210  and the ram piston  3220  may be aligned with the at least one growth packet guide channel  1034 , in accordance with the step  2250  of the method  2000 , as depicted in  FIG. 7  and described supra. 
       FIG. 10  depicts a Blanket Roll Planting System (BR Planting System)  3000 , comprising: a rig or boat  3095 , a blanket roll  3030 , a control  3010 , a supporting system  3050 , and a ram piston  3020 . The control  3010  may be a computer, wherein the computer may be operably connected to an aligning sensor  3015  of the ram piston  3020 , such as the alignment sensor  3210 , as depicted in  FIG. 9  and described supra, for aligning the trajectory of the ram piston  3020  in the direction of the arrow  3160  to drive the stakes  3080  to designated locations  3070  in the blanket roll  3030  and  3140  in the soil  3130 . Alternatively, the control  3010  may be a manual control, wherein the alignment sensor  3015 , such as the alignment sensor  3210 , as depicted in  FIG. 9  and described supra, may provide a visual image of the alignment of the ram piston  3020  with the blanket roll  3030  to an operator. The blanket roll  3030  may include at least one growth packet  3110  incorporated in a material such as the burlap or other biologically degradable material used to house the growth packets  900 , as depicted in  FIG. 5 , and described supra. The blanket roll  3030  may be any appropriate dimensions, such as from about one to one thousand feet long and from about six inches to about ten feet wide. The growth packets  3110  may be any appropriate dimensions, such as from about one to about twelve inches in diameter. The growth packet  3110  may contain plants (e.g., cuttings, roots, tubers, seeds, etc.), nutrients, and soil organisms (not shown) for accelerating growth in a green house growing effect that shelters new growth from the forces of nature. Hereinafter, a tuber may be a stem of a plant having buds, or eyes in the axils of minute scale leaves of the tuber, wherein the buds or eyes may grow into new plants. In some embodiments, the growth packet  3110  may be a “self-contained growth packet” with an outer wall that may contain self-contained materials such as sufficient nutrients such as fertilizers, minerals, solid support, such as soil around the roots of the incipient plant for the plant to grow even though it may be placed in an otherwise sterile and barren bed, such as, for example, a barren river bed, that may be barren because it may be devoid of said nutrients and solid support needed to sustain or accelerate plant growth. In like manner as described for the growth packets  780  and  900 , the blanket roll  3030  may provide nourishment such as nitrate and phosphate containing fertilizer for the growth packets  3110  to receive nourishment after they may be inserted into soil. 
     The stake and growth packet delivering system  3050  may be secured at a location  3093  to the rig or boat  3095  via connecting tether  3092 . The connecting tether  3092  may be flexible material such as rope or plastic or rigid, such as metal ties. The stake and growth packet delivering system  3050  may comprise a stake supply  3090 , a stake delivery pipe  3100 , wherein stakes  3090  may move in a direction of an arrow  3150  into a trajectory of a ram piston  3020 , designated by a direction of an arrow  3160 , and a blanket roll guide system  3060 , wherein the blanket roll guide system  3060  guides the laying of the blanket roll  3030 , such that the blanket roll  3030  may pass through the trajectory of the ram piston  3020 , in the direction of the arrow  3160 . The stakes  3090  and  3080  may be made of wood, plastic, composites, such as of plastic and rubber, or metal, and may be oblong with pointed ends to facilitate entry into the soil. Alternatively, the stakes may be any appropriate solid geometric shape for penetrating the blanket roll  3030  at a location  3070  and securing the blanket roll to the soil at a location  3140 . The roll guide system  3060  may be a wheel that may include a groove on which the blanket roll slides, or any appropriate mechanism for guiding the blanket roll  3030 . 
     The ram piston  3020  may be hydraulic or spring powered and may include an alignment sensor  3015  and an alignment pipe  3040  for aligning the ram piston  3020 , such that the trajectory of the ram piston  3020 , designated by the direction of the arrow  3160 , may drive the stakes  3080  to designated locations  3070  in the blanket roll  3030  and  3140  in the soil  3130 . In the method  4100  of the method for planting  4000 , depicted in  FIG. 11  and described infra, the control  3010  may receive feedback from the alignment sensor  3015  to align the ram piston  3020  trajectory to drive the stakes  3080  to designated locations  3070  in the blanket roll  3030  and  3140  in the soil  3130 . Alternatively, the control  3010  may be a manual control, wherein the alignment sensor  3015 , such as the alignment sensor  3210 , as depicted in  FIG. 9  and described supra, may provide a visual image of the alignment of the ram piston  3020  such that an operator may align the ram piston  3020  trajectory to drive the stakes  3080  to designated locations  3070  in the blanket roll  3030  and  3140  in the soil  3130 . Supporting rods  3170  may be operably coupled to the aligning pipe  3040  and roll guide system  3060 , resulting in maintaining a constant trajectory of the ram piston  3020  in the direction of the arrow  3160 , even if a rate of feeding the blanket roll  3030  increases, such that resistance to feeding of the blanket roll  3030  may create a force orthogonal to the direction of the arrow  3160 . 
       FIG. 11  depicts a method  4000  for planting using the a Blanket Roll Planting System (BR Planting System)  3000 , as depicted in  FIG. 10 , supra, and described herein. In the step  4100  of the method  4000 , a stake and growth packet delivery system  3050  may be provided, wherein the stake and growth packet delivery system  3050  may include a stake supply  3090 , a stake delivery pipe  3100 , a ram piston  3020 , having a trajectory in the direction of the arrow  3160 , a blanket roll guide system  3060 , wherein the blanket roll guide system  3060  guides the laying of the blanket roll  3030  onto the bottom  3130  of the body of water  3120 , such as soil or sediment, such that the blanket roll  3030  passes through the trajectory of the ram piston  3020 , in the direction of the arrow  3160 , such that the stakes  3080  may be driven into the blanket roll  3030  and bottom of the body of water  3130  by the ram piston  3020 . In the step  4200  of the method  4000 , a blanket roll  3030  may be provided to the stake and growth packet delivery system  3050 , wherein the blanket roll  3030  may include at least one growth packet  3110 . In the step  4200 , the blanket roll  3030  may be transported to the planting site pre-loaded with the at least one growth packet  3110  or it may be transported to the planting site as an empty casing and loaded with the at least one growth packet  3110  as needed. The blanket roll  3030  of the BR Planting System  3000  may be unrolled from a support system  3050  and staked down into position in the bottom  3130  of the body of water  3120 , such as the sediment, in deep or shallow water. Alternatively, the blanket roll  3030  may be staked down on a river bank, a shore of a lake or river, or at an edge of a body of water  3120 . The support system  3050  can be mounted on barges or boats for laying the blanket roll  3030  into the soil bottom  3130  of a body of water  3120 , such as the sediment, in deep or shallow water. Alternatively, the support system  3050  may be mounted to trucks, crawlers, excavators etc., or boats for laying the blanket roll  3030  into the bottom  3130  of a body of water  3120  such as soil of a river bank, a shore of a lake or river, or at an edge of the body of water  3120 . 
       FIG. 12  depicts a longitudinal cross section of the apparatuses  100  or  200 , illustrating an exploded view of the attachment  248 ″ depicted within the circle having an intermittent perimeter  12 ,  14  in  FIG. 2A , supra, wherein the attachment  248 ″ may be a fluted filter. The attachment  248 ″, that may be a fluted filter, may comprise a bore  260 , a fluted surface  265  having at least one peak(s)  263  and at least one valley(s)  259 , and at least one channel(s)  267 , wherein the at least one channel(s)  267  may extend from the fluted surface  265  in the at least one valley(s)  259  into the bore  260  of the attachment  248 ″. The attachment  248 ″, that may be a fluted filter, may be operatively coupled to the at least one pipe(s)  248  at an opening  248 ′, as depicted in  FIG. 2A , supra. Hereinafter, “operatively coupled” means the bore  260  of the attachment  248 ″ may be contiguous with the opening  248 ′ of the at least one pipe(s)  248 , such that material, such as contaminated water and suspended contaminated sediment in the mixture  252 ′ may pass from the interior  252  of the vessel  210  through at least one channel(s)  267  of the attachment  248 ″ into the at least one pipe(s)  248  in a direction of the arrow  177 , as depicted in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , and described supra. Alternatively, the attachment  248 ″ that may be a fluted filter, may be operatively coupled to the at least one pipe(s)  245   a ,  245   b , or  245   c  of the apparatus  200 , as depicted in  FIG. 2A , or to the at least one pipes  145   a ′,  145   b ′ or  145   c ′ of the apparatus  100 , as depicted in  FIG. 1 . The attachment  248 ″, such as the fluted filter, may be made of plastic, rubber, composites, such as plastic and rubber, metal, wherein the metal may be copper, brass, stainless or carbon steel. The at least one peak(s)  263  of the fluted surface  265  may be a point or be blunt shaped. 
       FIG. 13  depicts a transverse cross-sectional view of the attachment  248 ″ that may be a fluted filter. In  FIG. 13 , a length in a direction of an arrow  269  between the adjacent peaks  263  of the fluted surface  265  may be from about 1 in. to about 3 inches. In one embodiment, the at least one channel(s)  267  may have a diameter from about 0.002 mm to about 0.006 mm and a length in the direction of the arrow  177  between adjacent points  261  of the fluted surface may be from about 0.002 mm to about 0.006 mm. In another embodiment, the at least one channel(s)  267  may have a diameter from about 0.006 mm to about 0.02 mm and a length in the direction of the arrow  177  between adjacent points  261  of the fluted surface may be from about 0.006 mm to about 0.02 mm. In another embodiment, the at least one channel(s)  267  may have a diameter from about 0.02 mm to about 0.063 mm and a length in the direction of the arrow  177  between adjacent points  261  of the fluted surface may be from about 0.02 mm to about 0.063 mm. The fluted surface  265  between the at least one points  263  and  261  may be a smooth linear surface, or alternatively the fluted surface  265  may be rough or non-uniform. Adjacent points  261  may align or be coincident with opposite points along a diameter of the at least one channel(s)  267 . A purpose of the attachment  248 ″, that may be the fluted filter, may be to remove or filter out solids having a larger diameter than the length between the adjacent peaks  263  of the fluted surface  265  of the attachment  248 ″. In one embodiment, the attachment  248 ″, that may be the fluted filter, may remove or filter out solid material in the mixture  252 ′, thereby preventing solids such as rocks or other insoluble solid debris, that may have been carried along with the contaminated material such as contaminated sediment in the mixture  252 ′ in the interior  252  of the vessel  210  from entering the at least one channel(s)  267  and the at least one pipe  248 . It has been found that at least one channel(s)  267  may become occluded or clogged with solids having a greater diameter than the at least one channel(s)  267 , and that using the valleys  259  to screen such solids, such that the length between opposite coplanar points, in the plane of the arrow  177  lessens as the solids approach the at least one channel(s)  267 . 
       FIG. 14  depicts a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the apparatus  200 , illustrating an exploded view of the attachment  248 ″ when the attachment  248 ″ may be a coarse filter. The attachment  248 ″, such as the coarse filter, as depicted in  FIG. 14 , comprises a filter element  258 , wherein the filter element  258  may include a screen  259  and at least one orifice  256  in the screen  259 , and wherein the at least one orifice  256  may have a diameter from about ⅛ in. to about 1 in. The at least one orifice  256  may be round, square, rectangular or any appropriate polygon. The at least one orifice  256  of the apparatus  248 ″ that may be a coarse filter may be an array of holes having a diameter from about ⅛ to about 1 in. The filter element  258  may be conical shaped as in  FIG. 14 , or alternatively, the filter element  258  may be spherical, cubic, pyramidal, or any solid geometric shape of a polygon. The filter element  258  may be any appropriate solid material such as sheet metal, plastic, wherein the sheet metal may be copper, zinc, stainless steel or carbon steel, or any sheet material that may be non-porous to water, sediment or solid objects such as rocks or pebbles in the body of water  220 . 
     In  FIG. 14 , the attachment  248 ″, that may be a coarse filter, may be operatively coupled to the at least one pipe(s)  248  at an opening  248 ′, as depicted within the circle having an intermittent perimeter  12 ,  14  in  FIG. 2A , supra. Hereinafter, “operatively coupled” means the bore  258  of the attachment  248 ″ may be contiguous with the opening  248 ′ of the at least one pipe(s)  248 , such that material, such as contaminated water and suspended contaminated sediment in the mixture  252 ′ may pass from the interior  252  of the vessel  210  through the at least one orifice(s)  256  of the apparatus  248 ″ into the at least one pipe(s)  248  in a direction of the arrow  177 , as depicted in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , and described supra. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , and  FIGS. 12-14 , it has been found that materials or solids in the body of water  220 , as depicted in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , supra, such as suspended sediment in the mixture  252 ′ may occlude or clog the at least one channel(s)  267  or the at least one orifice(s)  256  of the attachment  248 ″ when the attachment  248 ″ of the apparatus  200  is a fluted filter or coarse filter. Referring to  FIG. 13 , it has been found that the occlusions or clogs may be removed from the at least one channel(s)  267  of the attachment  248 ″, when the attachment  248 ″ may be a coarse filter, by pumping, e.g., with pump  380 , the mixture  252 ′ such that the mixture  252 ′ in the “open or closed” piping system  188  may be forced in a direction of the arrow  254 , as depicted in  FIG. 13 , through the at least one channel(s)  267  of the attachment  248 ″. 
     Referring to  FIG. 14 , it has been found that the occlusions or clogs may be removed from the at least one orifice(s)  256  of the attachment  248 ″, when the attachment  248 ″ may be a fluted filter, by pumping, e.g., with pump  380 , the mixture  252 ′ such that mixture  252 ′ in the “open or closed” piping system  188  may be forced in a direction of the arrow  251 , as depicted in  FIG. 14 , through the at least one orifice(s)  256  of the attachment  248 ″. Alternatively, an untrasonic generator may be operatively coupled to the attachment  248 ″ to provide bursts of ultrasonic vibration to remove occlusions or clogs from the at least one channel(s)  267  or the at least one orifice(s)  256 , of the attachment  248 ″, when the attachment  248 ″ may be a fluted filter or coarse filter. 
       FIG. 15  depicts an overall flowchart of a method  800  for operating the apparatuses  100  and  200  robotically, wherein the valves, agitators, viewing equipment, map coordinate locating equipment such as GPS and Sonar equipment may be remotely computer controlled such as by remotely placing the valves in open or closed positions in the piping systems  45  and  188  for the apparatuses  100  and  200 . The terms “enter and entering” are defined to mean typing through a keyboard (or moving or clicking a pointing device) linked to a computer  400 , as depicted in  FIG. 16 , infra and described herein, adapted to display the information entered on a screen. The method  800  comprises: a the step  810 , wherein the operator enters map coordinates and a depth of removal for a location where contaminated material has been designated for removal; a step  820 , controlling the apparatuses  100  and  200 , including valves, agitators, viewing equipment, map coordinate locating equipment such as GPS and Sonar equipment of the apparatuses  100  and  200  with the computer  400 , wherein the computer  400  calculates operating parameters for the controlled agitators, viewing equipment, map coordinate locating equipment; and a step  830 , wherein the apparatuses  100  and  200  remove the contaminated materials. 
     Generally, the method  800  described herein with respect to removing contaminated materials illustrated in  FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 10  and described supra, may be practiced with a general-purpose computer  400  and the method may be coded as a set of instructions on removable or hard media for use by the general-purpose computer  400 .  FIG. 16  is a schematic block diagram of a general-purpose computer  400  for practicing the present invention. In  FIG. 16 , computer system  400  has at least one microprocessor or central processing unit (CPU)  405 . CPU  405  is interconnected via a system bus  410  to a random access memory (RAM)  415 , a read-only memory (ROM)  420 , an input/output (I/O) adapter  425  for a connecting a removable data and/or program storage device  430  and a mass data and/or program storage device  435 , a user interface adapter  440  for connecting a keyboard  445  and a mouse  450 , a port adapter  455  for connecting a data port  460  and a display adapter  465  for connecting a display device  470 . 
     ROM  420  contains the basic operating system for computer system  400 . The operating system may alternatively reside in RAM  415  or elsewhere as is known in the art. Examples of removable data and/or program storage device  430  include magnetic media such as floppy drives and tape drives and optical media such as CD ROM drives. Examples of mass data and/or program storage device  435  include hard disk drives and non-volatile memory such as flash memory. In addition to keyboard  445  and mouse  450 , other user input devices such as trackballs, writing tablets, pressure pads, microphones, light pens and position-sensing screen displays may be connected to user interface  440 . Examples of display devices include cathode-ray tubes (CRT) and liquid crystal displays (LCD). 
     A computer program with an appropriate application interface may be created by one skilled in the art and stored on a system or a data and/or program storage device to simplify the practicing of this invention. In operation, information for or the computer program created to run the present invention is loaded on the appropriate removable data and/or program storage device  430 , fed through data port  460  or typed in using keyboard  445 . In a first example, the output of the system bus  410  may control the apparatuses  100  and  200  of  FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B  and methods  600  and  700  of  FIGS. 3A and 3B , respectively, resulting in containing and isolating PCB-contaminated sediments while they may be being handled with the rate of suspension and turbidity of the sediments being controlled. In a second example, the output of the system bus  410  may control the apparatuses  100  and  200  enabling sampling, viewing, sonar detection, monitoring, separating, testing, treating, injecting, removing or replacing contaminated materials from a contained site within a body of water. 
     The present invention can provide a structure e.g., the apparatuses  100  and  200  of  FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B  and methods  600  and  700  of  FIGS. 3A and 3B , respectively, for containing and isolating the PCB-contaminated sediments while they may be handled and the rate of suspension and turbidity of the sediments may be controlled. The apparatuses  100  and  200  enabling sampling, viewing, sonar detection, monitoring, separating, testing, treating, injecting, removing or replacing contaminated materials from a contained site within a body of water. The open faced vessels  110  and  210  form a sealable/resealable container with the bottom materials, then uses “agitators” for suspending contaminated material such as silt and sludge within the container and outlets through which a mixture of the materials and fluids may be withdrawn from the vessel for separation and monitoring for chemicals and/or treatment. Most PCBs reside in the top 6 inches of the sediment layer at the bottom of the river. However, at some hot spots, PCBs may be present at a depth as deep as 25 inches. The “agitators” will be variable speed impellers, whips and nozzles for directing a stream of water or air at variable pressures. The container, agitators, impellers, whips and nozzles may be of mixed materials, for example: carbon steel, aluminum, stainless steel, rubber, plastic or composites. 
     A global positioning device (GPD) can be used to determine the positioning of the vessels  110  and  210 . Also, the open or closed loop piping system  188  may include a “forward and reverse” pump  380  for removing the contaminated material such as silt and sludge materials from attachment  248 ″ and from piping system  45  of apparatus  100 , as depicted in  FIG. 1 , and piping system  188  of apparatus  200 , as depicted in  FIG. 2A , supra, while the releasable seal  183  prevents contaminated material from entering the vessels  110  or  210 . Monitoring the sample site  310   a , as depicted in  FIG. 2B , may include testing for chemicals and elements known or unknown. The treatments can include using additives, reducers, catalysts, microbes, stabilizers, adhesives, charged particles, gases or other elements known or unknown. Once treated, “cleaned, separated materials” may be returned via the open or closed piping system  188 , as depicted in  FIG. 2A  or the closed loop piping system  45 , as depicted in  FIG. 1 . The apparatuses  100  and  200  enables removal of contaminated materials “in place” with continuous monitoring and minimal exposure to the surroundings. 
     The apparatuses  100  and  200  have the following advantages over the conventional dredging method that may use the “open mouthed” bucket. First, the apparatuses  100  and  200  may have a multi-use purpose, such as, for example, sampling, viewing, sonar detection, monitoring, separating, testing, treating, injecting, removing or replacing contaminated material from a contained site within the riverbed. Second, the “open or closed loop” piping systems  188  within the containment vessel area may be used to stimulate and control the rate of suspension of materials (turbidity) and the depth of involvement into the riverbed materials as well. The agitators may be variable speed impellers  125   a  and  125   b , whip  127  or nozzles  135   a ,  135   b ,  135   c ,  135   d  and may be adapted for rising up and down, while advancing into the contaminated material such as sediment  270 , e.g., silt and sludge media, to a controlled depth. Third, the apparatuses  100  and  200  may be a multiple “closed looped” or “open loop” piping systems,  45  and  188  that recycle the enclosed fluids out of the vessels  110  and  210  and back into the vessels  110  and  210 , enabling elected treatments or filtration processes. Fourth, testing and treatments to the contained sediment  78  and  270 , e.g., silt and sludge media, can be done in place in the vessels  110  and  210  in lieu of removing it from the vessels  110  and  210 . Fifth, by reversing the process the voids left from removals can be filled with a selected amount of cleaned or new fill materials such as plant life and organisms, etc. 
     Direct benefits to using the apparatuses  100  and  200  may be seen with respect to working below the mud line with quiet, night-and-day, year-round operations and minimal effects to the river, navigation, public water supplies, improving the public&#39;s health, improving the ecology of the river, the fish and wildlife, the food chain, improved agricultural applications, improved transportation and recreation. There may be several objectives achieved using the apparatuses  100  and  200  of the present invention: (1) reduced cancer risks and non-cancer health hazards to people who eat fish, (2) lowered risks to fish and wildlife, (3) diminished PCB levels in sediments in river water above water quality standards, (4) reduced quantity (mass) of PCBs in sediments that may be consumed by fish and wildlife, and (5) stopped long-term movement of PCBs down the river. 
     One success of the apparatuses of the present invention, e.g., the apparatuses  100  and  200  of  FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B  and methods  600  and  700  of  FIGS. 3A and 3B , respectively, can be measured by the minimization of the amount of materials (large rocks, stones, etc.) that may be collected and/or processed for transport to a disposal site. 
     A second success of the apparatuses of the present invention, e.g., the apparatuses  100  and  200  of  FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B  and methods  600  and  700  of  FIGS. 3A and 3B , respectively, may be enabling targeting of contaminated materials for removal, so that essentially 100% by weight of the contaminated materials may be removed. 
     The environmental benefits may be the controlled removal of contaminated materials such as river sediment to prevent downstream migration of the contaminated materials that may result if the contaminated materials were not removed. The present invention may provide economic benefits in the form of returning a body of water such as the Hudson River to safe use again. 
     The energy benefits of the apparatuses of the present invention, e.g., the apparatuses  100  and  200  of  FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B  and methods  600  and  700  of  FIGS. 3A and 3B , respectively, may be expected to cut the energy consumption for PCB removal and treatment by a significant amount by shortening the length of the treatment process. The environmental protection may be offered through the novel contained dredging process (i.e., inside the vessel  210 ) by controlling turbidity and re-suspension released downstream. The economic benefits may be derived from a shortened, safer, more efficient process enabling the economy to regain use of bodies of water such as the Hudson River sooner. The marketing potential to recover contaminated sediments in any body of water throughout New York State, the U.S., and all of the developing countries of the world may be limitless. 
     The present invention can also provide the means to regenerate plant life and install plant life into a body of water such as a river in efficient and economical ways. According to embodiments of the present invention, plant life may be selected so that it may be able to co-habit together and repopulate the vacant site. Research will be conducted for the nutrients and packets that each habitat may require. The Green Plant Energy Aid System (i.e., the growth packet  900  of  FIG. 5 ), hereafter known as GREEN PEAS, may be a biodegradable packet, filled with plants (cuttings, roots, tubers, seeds, etc.), nutrients, soil, and organisms necessary to accelerate plant growth in a greenhouse growing effect that shelters new growth from the forces of nature over a controlled period of time, aiding in accelerated plant growth. The GREEN PEAS may be prepackaged high-energy growing pods, round in shape, to facilitate easy placement. The shape enables the GREEN PEAS to be pumped via special piping systems into soil whether above or below the waterline as in river bottoms for soil erosion control. It also enables the PEAS not to have a top or a bottom, enabling growth to occur at 360 degrees, thus finding “top” on its own. The GREEN PEAS should also be weighted to sink or air bladdered to float as in hydroponic farming. The GREEN PEAS will be filled with soil and water organisms necessary to restart damaged eco systems such as brown field sites, slag heaps, run off ponds, lagoons, fire sites and harbors. 
     The benefits of this project may be: the river, improving the public&#39;s health, improving the ecology of the body of water, such as providing a healthier environment for the fish and wildlife, eliminating PCB&#39;s and other toxic chemicals from the food chain, improving the purity of public water supplies, removing waste from the body of water that may result from agricultural applications, such as the use of fertilizers, and improving conditions for recreation on the body of water such as for swimming. The financial benefits may be boundless for both commercial and public applications. 
     This present invention may be superior because the direct planting process replants the riverbed with GREEN PEAS. Replacing a controlled amount of material will be far more efficient and cost effective than current procedures used today. The energy and economic benefits may be based upon the savings associated with the efficient way of replanting the river bottom voided of habitat. The direct planting process to replant the river bed and replace a controlled amount of clean material (12″ as required by the USEPA) will save a measurable amount of new soil materials over the current methods of transferring or clam shelling the soil material into a flowing river which carries the materials with the current before they settle out unevenly on the bottoms. The environmental benefits to the fish, waterfowl, amphibious and aquatic fauna may be measured by how long it takes to plant the habitat vegetation and replace the ecological functions. 
     With the GREEN PEAS process, the nutrient rich power pods will jumpstart growing the plants prior to planting in the riverbed. Already able to provide a root area support system, the GREEN PEAS may be placed under the riverbed soils by the mechanical process. This may be unlike current practices that use drop in place techniques in which plant life could be washed away with river currents. 
     As a summary of the benefits of the present invention, the present invention preserves the quality of life around the site of cleaning operation. The operation of the apparatuses  100  and  200  makes negligible noise, creates no pollution, and generates no smell. Such benefits will be greatly appreciated and welcomed by the public. 
     While particular embodiments of the present invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, many modifications and changes will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to encompass all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.