EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (continued) 



and grabs from the disposal mound was consistent with the sequence of disposal 

 operations. 



The results of the demonstration project provided recommendations for future cap 

 monitoring projects in deep water disposal sites, including suggestions for modifications to 

 both the monitoring protocols and to dredging and disposal operations. For areas of 

 complex bottom topography, a higher resolution single-beam bathymetric survey grid (5 to 

 10-m lane spacing) or multibeam bathymetry is required to provide more precise depth 

 information over a wider area of seafloor. For the demonstration project, the low volumes 

 of dredged material, and the complications in the dredging and disposal schedule, 

 contributed to uncertainty in the data interpretation. Operational complications that may 

 occur with a larger project will have less of an impact, because larger volumes reduce the 

 overall monitoring error. 



Finally, the tracer technique that was selected demonstrated promising results in 

 tracking dredged material at a subaqueous disposal site. Several recommendations were 

 made to improve the method, including selecting tracers with the narrowest range in the 

 dredging area, and sampling and analyzing the baseline (ambient and historical dredged) 

 material prior to disposal of project material. 



