The Great Lakes Dredging Team held its 2026 annual meeting April 29-30 at Portage Lakefront & Riverwalk, bringing together representatives from eight states and multiple federal agencies to discuss dredging, dredged material management, and related projects across the Great Lakes region.
The two-day meeting featured updates from USACE districts including Buffalo, Detroit and Chicago, along with presentations from state environmental agencies, the Great Lakes Commission, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Topics included navigation budget outlooks for fiscal years 2026-2027, PFAS contamination research, and beneficial use applications for dredged sediment.
Industry perspectives were shared by Great Lakes dredging and marine construction contractors, who presented lessons learned on sediment preparation, disposal operations, and ecosystem restoration design. The meeting also addressed contaminated sediment placement capacity in Areas of Concern and nearshore monitoring projects.
Day two featured discussions on agricultural beneficial use of dredged sediment, innovative projects at Trail Creek, and coastal management solutions. The meeting concluded with an optional field session at the shoreline to discuss coastal issues with National Park Service representatives.
The Great Lakes Dredging Team meets annually to coordinate dredging operations, share technical expertise, and advance sustainable management practices for navigation and environmental projects throughout the Great Lakes basin.
Meeting Resources:
DAY 1 – April 29, 2026
Industry Presentations:
DAY 2 – April 30, 2026
- USACE Great Lakes Navigation System Updates and Navigation Budget Update, FY 2026 and FY2027 Outlook (Nick Zager, Chief of Operations Division, Detroit District / Great Lakes Navigation System Team Lead)
- AOC Contaminated Sediment Placement Capacity (Jim Luke, USACE ERDC / Scott Hawkins, USEPA GLNPO)
- Intro to NPS Shoreline Management Concerns (Jason Taylor, NPS Superintendent, Indiana Dunes National Park)
- Successes and Opportunities for Beneficial Use of Dredged Material in the Lower Great Lakes (Andrew Hannes, Biologist/Project Planner, Buffalo District)
- Mississippi River Beneficial Use: Leveraging Beneficial Use - 90 Years of Sustainable Navigation (Bre Popkin, St. Paul District)
- Trail Creek Innovative Project: 2023 Trail Creek Marina Lift Well Dredging Project for USACE - Great Lakes Districts (Colin Hassenger, Edgewater Resources / Ed Moyer and Todd Watkins, Paragon ISG)
- Agricultural Beneficial Use of Dredged Sediment from Toledo, OH: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Amending Farm Soils with Dredged Material - Implications on Crop Biomass, Soil Health, and Water Quality (Dr. Angelica Vazquez-Ortega, BGSU)
- ERDC Nearshore Monitoring Project: Burns Small Boat Harbor Nearshore Nourishment Monitoring (Dr. Jennifer Miller, USACE ERDC)
- R/V Mudpuppy II: New Mission Development and Cost Savings (David Bucaro, PL Chief / Nick Barkowski, Fish Biologist, Chicago District)