(a) Dredging and the disposal and placement of dredged material shall avoid and otherwise minimize adverse effects to coastal waters, submerged lands, critical areas, coastal shore areas, and Gulf beaches to the greatest extent practicable. The policies of this section are supplemental to any further restrictions or requirements relating to the beach access and use rights of the public. In implementing this section, cumulative and secondary adverse effects of dredging and the disposal and placement of dredged material and the unique characteristics of affected sites shall be considered.
  (1) Dredging and dredged material disposal and placement shall not cause or contribute, after consideration of dilution and dispersion, to violation of any applicable surface water quality standards established under §26.21 of this title (relating to Policies for Discharge of Municipal and Industrial Wastewater to Coastal Waters).
  (2) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (4) of this subsection, adverse effects on critical areas from dredging and dredged material disposal or placement shall be avoided and otherwise minimized, and appropriate and practicable compensatory mitigation shall be required, in accordance with §26.23 of this title (relating to Policies for Development in Critical Areas).
  (3) Except as provided in paragraph (4) of this subsection, dredging and the disposal and placement of dredged material shall not be authorized if:
    (A) there is a practicable alternative that would have fewer adverse effects on coastal waters, submerged lands, critical areas, coastal shore areas, and Gulf beaches, so long as that alternative does not have other significant adverse effects;
    (B) all appropriate and practicable steps have not been taken to minimize adverse effects on coastal waters, submerged lands, critical areas, coastal shore areas, and Gulf beaches; or
    (C) significant degradation of critical areas under §26.23(a)(7)(E) of this title would result.
  (4) A dredging or dredged material disposal or placement project that would be prohibited solely by application of paragraph (3) of this subsection may be allowed if it is determined to be of overriding importance to the public and national interest in light of economic impacts on navigation and maintenance of commercially navigable waterways.
(b) Adverse effects from dredging and dredged material disposal and placement shall be minimized as required in subsection (a) of this section. Adverse effects can be minimized by employing the techniques in this subsection where appropriate and practicable.
  (1) Adverse effects from dredging and dredged material disposal and placement can be minimized by controlling the location and dimensions of the activity. Some of the ways to accomplish this include:
    (A) locating and confining discharges to minimize smothering of organisms;
    (B) locating and designing projects to avoid adverse disruption of water inundation patterns, water circulation, erosion and accretion processes, and other hydrodynamic processes;
    (C) using existing or natural channels and basins instead of dredging new channels or basins, and discharging materials in areas that have been previously disturbed or used for disposal or placement of dredged material;
    (D) limiting the dimensions of channels, basins, and disposal and placement sites to the minimum reasonably required to serve the project purpose, including allowing for reasonable overdredging of channels and basins, and taking into account the need for capacity to accommodate future expansion without causing additional adverse effects;
    (E) discharging materials at sites where the substrate is composed of material similar to that being discharged;
    (F) locating and designing discharges to minimize the extent of any plume and otherwise control dispersion of material; and
    (G) avoiding the impoundment or drainage of critical areas.
  (2) Dredging and disposal and placement of material to be dredged shall comply with applicable standards for sediment toxicity. Adverse effects from constituents contained in materials discharged can be minimized by treatment of or limitations on the material itself. Some ways to accomplish this include:
    (A) disposal or placement of dredged material in a manner that maintains physiochemical conditions at discharge sites and limits or reduces the potency and availability of pollutants;
    (B) limiting the solid, liquid, and gaseous components of material discharged;
    (C) adding treatment substances to the discharged material; and
    (D) adding chemical flocculants to enhance the deposition of suspended particulates in confined disposal areas.
  (3) Adverse effects from dredging and dredged material disposal or placement can be minimized through control of the materials discharged. Some ways of accomplishing this include:
    (A) use of containment levees and sediment basins designed, constructed, and maintained to resist breaches, erosion, slumping, or leaching;
    (B) use of lined containment areas to reduce leaching where leaching of chemical constituents from the material is expected to be a problem;
    (C) capping in-place contaminated material or, selectively discharging the most contaminated material first and then capping it with the remaining material;
    (D) properly containing discharged material and maintaining discharge sites to prevent point and nonpoint pollution; and
    (E) timing the discharge to minimize adverse effects from unusually high water flows, wind, wave, and tidal actions.
  (4) Adverse effects from dredging and dredged material disposal or placement can be minimized by controlling the manner in which material is dispersed. Some ways of accomplishing this include:
    (A) where environmentally desirable, distributing the material in a thin layer;
    (B) orienting material to minimize undesirable obstruction of the water current or circulation patterns;
    (C) using silt screens or other appropriate methods to confine suspended particulates or turbidity to a small area where settling or removal can occur;
    (D) using currents and circulation patterns to mix, disperse, dilute, or otherwise control the discharge;
    (E) minimizing turbidity by using a diffuser system or releasing material near the bottom;
    (F) selecting sites or managing discharges to confine and minimize the release of suspended particulates and turbidity and maintain light penetration for organisms; and
    (G) setting limits on the amount of material to be discharged per unit of time or volume of receiving waters.
  (5) Adverse effects from dredging and dredged material disposal or placement operations can be minimized by adapting technology to the needs of each site. Some ways of accomplishing this include:
    (A) using appropriate equipment, machinery, and operating techniques for access to sites and transport of material, including those designed to reduce damage to critical areas;
    (B) having personnel on site adequately trained in avoidance and minimization techniques and requirements; and
    (C) designing temporary and permanent access roads and channel spanning structures using culverts, open channels, and diversions that will pass both low and high water flows, accommodate fluctuating water levels, and maintain circulation and faunal movement.
  (6) Adverse effects on plant and animal populations from dredging and dredged material disposal or placement can be minimized by:
    (A) avoiding changes in water current and circulation patterns that would interfere with the movement of animals;
    (B) selecting sites or managing discharges to prevent or avoid creating habitat conducive to the development of undesirable predators or species that have a competitive edge ecologically over indigenous plants or animals;
    (C) avoiding sites having unique habitat or other value, including habitat of endangered species;
    (D) using planning and construction practices to institute habitat development and restoration to produce a new or modified environmental state of higher ecological value by displacement of some or all of the existing environmental characteristics;
    (E) using techniques that have been demonstrated to be effective in circumstances similar to those under consideration whenever possible and, when proposed development and restoration techniques have not yet advanced to the pilot demonstration stage, initiating their use on a small scale to allow corrective action if unanticipated adverse effects occur;
    (F) timing dredging and dredged material disposal or placement activities to avoid spawning or migration seasons and other biologically critical time periods; and
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