Sediment Management
As outlined in its Strategic Plan, the Port of Cleveland is committed to incorporating environmental sustainability best practices across port activities and public policy advocacy. We are dedicated to creating a dynamic urban core that balances work and recreation on Cleveland’s waterfronts.
The Port of Cleveland is committed to conducting its operations in a sustainable manner and has been a Green Marine participant since 2007. Green Marine is an environmental certification program for the North American marine industry dedicated to advancing environmental excellence. The program stems from a voluntary initiative by the maritime industry to exceed regulatory requirements.
Green Marine is a rigorous, transparent and inclusive program that targets prioritized environmental issues such as greenhouse gases, community impacts, and water and land pollution. To receive certification the Port must benchmark annual environmental performance through the program’s exhaustive self-evaluation guides, have the results verified, and agree to publication of individual results.
Dredging
The Port of Cleveland has developed and implemented a plan to manage the sediments annually dredged from the 5.9 mile shipping channel on the Cuyahoga River. The plan ensures that the shipping channel is maintained at an adequate depth needed for commercial shipping traffic. The plan relies on harnessing natural physical properties of water, sediments, and energy-sediment choreography.
The Port’s strategy includes:
- Managing the operation of the confined disposal facility (CDF);
- Increasing capacity of the CDF through an efficient and responsible method of delivery and placement of sediments and;
- Implementing techniques to harvest and use the cleaner sediments for beneficial purposes
The Port’s plan extends the life of the CDF to 47 years in an effort to avoid the cost of a new CDF.