Developing a Regional Sediment Budget for the Northern Gulf of Mexico
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Issue
In the past, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has focused on managing sand resources for specific projects instead of the larger region. However, this approach to sand management does not adequately consider the impact of individual projects on neighboring “downdrift” projects.
Process
To address this issue, the Corps began to assess the benefits of managing sediment resources on a regional scale. The Corps’ regional sediment management (RSM) demonstration program began efforts in the Northern Gulf of Mexico by using components of the eCoastal program, a geographic information system that fosters organization-wide GIS implementation, operation, and management. The Sediment Budget Analysis System, an application contained within the eCoastal toolbox, provided a framework for formulating, documenting, and calculating sediment budgets. This system was used in combination with other models to develop a sediment budget for over 375 miles of shoreline in the Northern Gulf of Mexico region.
Impact
The sediment budget provided the first regional context for developing engineering alternatives and assessing potential regional impacts. The overall program helped users identify data collection needs and provided a framework for the development of a regional GIS.
Mobile district regional sediment budget cells