1.0 OBJECTIVE OF THE MONITORING SURVEY 



During the 1999/2000 disposal season, a small dredging project was completed at the 

 U.S. Coast Guard Base in New Haven Harbor, East Haven, Connecticut. A total barge 

 volume of 14,200 m^ of sediment deemed suitable for unconfined open water disposal was 

 removed from the berthing areas to improve the efficiency of operations within the boat 

 basin. Normally, these sediments would be transported to the Central Long Island Sound 

 Disposal Site (CLIS) and incorporated within an active disposal mound on the seafloor. 

 However, recent interest in alternative uses for dredged material and innovative disposal 

 methods prompted a change in management strategy for these sediments. 



A small, man-made bottom depression, or borrow pit, located in Morris Cove was 

 selected as an alternate disposal site for the USCG sediments. The borrow pit was created 

 several decades ago when sand and gravel were mined for use as fill for the construction of 

 Interstate Highway 95 through New Haven. The ambient sediments were excavated along a 

 north-northwest to south-southeast axis, resulting in a submerged pit approximately 200 m 

 wide and 750 m in length (Figure 1-1). Currently, water depths at the borrow pit range from 

 3 m to 12 m. The deepest areas of the pit are upwards of 8 m deeper than the surrounding 

 ambient seafloor, suggesting a substantial capacity that could be utilized for the deposition of 

 dredged sediments. 



In early January 2000, a small disposal buoy (MCDA) was placed at 41 ° 15.644' N, 

 72° 53.972' W in the southern region of the borrow pit (Figure 1-1). An estimated 10,400 m^ 

 of dredged material was deposited at the buoy during January 2000, before the dredging 

 operation was interrupted by heavy ice in the harbor. Dredging and disposal operations were 

 reinstated on 2 May and continued through 15 May, with an additional 3,800 m^ of material 

 deposited at the MCDA buoy (Table 1-1; Appendix A). 



A monitoring survey was conducted over the Morris Cove borrow pit in late 

 September 20(X) (5 months post-disposal) to: 



• document the distribution of the dredged material on the seafloor; 



• verify the stability of the sediment deposit; and 



• examine benthic recolonization over the new sediment deposit, relative to ambient 

 New Haven Harbor sediments. 



Monitoring Cruise at the Morris Cove Borrow Pit 



