Code of Maryland Regulations › Title 26 - DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT › Part 4 - SUBTITLES 19-30 › Subtitle 24 - TIDAL WETLANDS › Chapter 26.24.03 - Dredging and Filling › Section 26.24.03.05 - Placement of Dredged Material in Open Water

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 14, July 12, 2024
A. Applicants proposing marsh creation or
				  beach nourishment projects are exempt from the requirements of §B of this
				  regulation.
B. Overboard Disposal.
(1) In addition to the requirements of
				  Regulation .02 of this chapter and COMAR
				  26.24.02.02 o, an applicant
				  proposing overboard disposal of dredged material into open water is required to
				  submit the information in §B(2)-(8) of this regulation at the time of
				  application.
(2) An environmental
				  study shall be submitted that includes measures to preserve or enhance the
				  aesthetic, scenic, environmental, and natural resource values of the disposal
				  site.
(3) Test results of the
				  physical and chemical parameters of the material to be dredged shall be
				  submitted. Testing shall include physical characteristics of the material to be
				  dredged, including material identification in accordance with the unified soil
				  classification system and grain-size distribution.
(4) Chemical characteristics, including the
				  concentration of metals, organic compounds, oil and greases, nutrients,
				  bacteria, and toxic compounds and their potential short-term and long-term
				  release into the water column shall be submitted.
(5) A current bathymetric survey of the site
				  where the proposed dredged material is to be placed, in accordance with the
				  criteria of Regulation .02B(3) of this chapter, shall be submitted. In
				  addition, the survey shall meet the following criteria:
(a) Soundings shall be taken in sufficient
				  quantity to clearly identify low point elevations within 500 feet beyond the
				  limits of the proposed project; and
(b) Survey data shall be plotted at a scale
				  not less than 1 inch equals 200 feet.
(6) A plan shall be submitted which depicts
				  the following:
(a) Adjacent land
				  features;
(b) Existing navigation
				  channels;
(c) Archaeological sites;
				  and
(d) Permanent structures that
				  extend into State waters.
(7) A hydrodynamic study of the impacts of
				  the potential long-term movement of all material placed in tidal waters shall
				  be submitted.
(8) A monitoring
				  program shall be submitted that includes the collection and analysis of data
				  before, during, and after the disposal operation, including:
(a) Aquatic biota, including benthos,
				  shellfish, and finfish;
(b) Water
				  quality parameters, including temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen,
				  conductivity, and pH;
(c) Turbidity
				  within the disposal site and specified adjacent areas;
(d) Nutrients, including ammonia and
				  phosphate;
(e) An assessment of
				  volume reductions in the dredged material following placement, including
				  sediment resuspension and transport through tidal and wave current
				  interactions, fluid mud movement, and material consolidation; and
(f) An assessment of the post-depositional
				  benthos community recolonization.