BCI Engineers and Scientists

BCI was hired by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) to design a hydraulic dredging project to remove a layer of fine-grained sands and organic sediments from the lake bottom at Eagle Bay on the north end of Lake Okeechobee.

While the main goal of the project was to restore the productive benthic habitat to this area of the lake, BCI had to design a process that would be cost-effective for the removal of the thin organic layer at the site, while meeting a strict total phosphorus standard for return water of 40 parts per billion (ppb) or less.

BCI’s tasks over a six-month design period included:

• Collected, reviewed, & managed preliminary information to include water quality data, existing hydrologic & water quality models, sediment data, hydrographic surveys & disposal site characteristics
• Identified dredging, sediment stabilization & dredged material management alternatives
• Characterized lake sediments to be dredged
• Developed conceptual plans for dredging, dewatering & disposal
• Prepared dredging evaluation report outlining proposed dredging & disposal methodologies, delineation of dredging and disposal areas & material handling & processing monitoring requirements
• Produced final engineering plans & specifications needed for construction