POPLAR ISLAND ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION PROJECT: PROJECT SUCCESSES, LESSONS LEARNED, AND FUTURE PLANS

摘要

The Poplar Island Environmental Restoration Project (PIERP) is a national model for the beneficial use of dredged material. The existing project benefits the environment and navigation, fits into the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) watershed planning approach for ecosystem restoration projects, supports the USACE Environmental Operating Principles, integrates lessons learned and adaptive management, and has national recognition and public support. Coordination with agencies and technical experts from academic institutions is an integral and continuous part of the PIERP. Multiple project working groups address technical and management questions and include personnel from eleven State and Federal agencies, four academic institutions, and representatives of local governmnt and other private-interest groups and organizations that are stakeholders in the Chesapeake Bay (conservation groups, boaters, watermen, etc.). A General Reevaluation Report (GRR) and Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the project was completed and finalized in 2005. The recommended plan includes a 232 hectare (575-acre) lateral expansion and a 1.5 in (5-ft) vertical expansion of the existing upland dikes, placement of dredged material from southern approach channels to the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, incorporation of design modifications for the existing project, and the development of recreational and educational enhancements. The proposed expansion will provide approximately 21.5 million cubic meters (m~3)(28 million cubic yards (mcy)) of additional dredged material placement capacity, will provide additional habitat of value, and will allow for sufficient time to implement other large-scale regional beneficial use projects. Lessons learned from engineering, environmental, and stakeholder interests are being applied to future wetland cell development, are being used for the proposed expansion design, and are being incorporated into plans for future island restoration projects.