WEBVTT

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Contaminated sediments in aquatic

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environments are a pressing concern ,

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posing significant risks to ecosystems

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and public health . The US Army

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Engineer Research and Development

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Center , or IRDIC is at the forefront

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of addressing this critical issue . In

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the sediment research laboratory ,

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engineers are developing innovative

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solutions to mitigate the impact of

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these contaminants , working to protect

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both the environment and communities

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that rely on clean water . We work a

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lot with contaminated sediments as well

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as dredge material . And so , primarily

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with contaminated sediments , we test

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out different types of caps . So a cap

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is a layer of material that we put on

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top of contaminated sediment just to

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keep the contaminants from continuously

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getting into . To water column and

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causing issues . The team experiments

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with various cap materials including

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sand , carbon , and steel slag to

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determine the most effective

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combinations . It's very helpful that

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we look at them more long term versus

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just a Quick in and out few month

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experiment . There are several columns

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in our labs that have been going on

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since 2008 . In addition to

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contaminated sediments , the lab

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addresses the management of dredge

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materials . The US Army Corps of

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Engineers dredges millions of cubic

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yards of sediment annually to maintain

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navigable waters , finding sustainable

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uses for . This material is essential .

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We provide recommendations to various

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districts and how to handle their

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dredge material , whether it be a

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confined area disposal , a water

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placement disposal . We do research on

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the sediment behaviors of placing

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dredge material with a certain water

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content on . slopes , and so we help

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with the design of CDFs . Collaboration

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is the key to the lab's success . The

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team works closely with industry

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partners like ExxonMobil and

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governmental agencies to address

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complex environmental challenges . Our

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team is made up of actually multiple

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branches in the environmental lab , and

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so I feel like All of these different

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aspects are a slice of pie that we all

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create to be able to provide a whole

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product for Exxon themselves because

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they have multiple , multiple questions

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and we are able to look into ways of

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how to address their issues . The

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sediment Research Laboratory's

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extensive database built over decades

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is an invaluable resource for

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understanding sediment characteristics

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across various . Locations . This helps

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save time and resources by avoiding

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redundant testing . We have a database

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for each of these areas where we

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collectively add all of these details

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in to create as a whole , which I think

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will in turn save the government a lot

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of money so that we're not still

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running the same , um , organics

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content and all of this on , on these

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sediment areas when we already know

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what's kind of going on in , in these

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areas . The work conducted at Erdic

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Sediment Research Laboratory is

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essential for protecting aquatic

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environments , ecosystems , and

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communities from the dangers of

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contaminated sediments . Through

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dedicated research and collaboration ,

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Edict continues to lead advancements in

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environmental engineering .