What is dredged material?
In general, dredged material is sediment that has been removed with an underwater excavating machine called a dredge. Dredging may be conducted either mechanically or hydraulically. Dredged material removed from waterways is categorized into two general types: maintenance material and new work material. Maintenance material is material that has been removed from areas that have been dredged previously to similar depths. Maintenance material consists of recently deposited sediment material that originated as eroded soil carried to the riverbed or estuary bottom by rainfall runoff, wave action, or tidal currents. This typically uncontaminated sediment is removed as part of regular maintenance dredging programs. New work material is material taken from depths not previously dredged.