Simple cost estimator for environmental dredging in the Great Lakes

To evaluate ex situ contaminated sediment remediation alternatives, an equa tion or algorithm for estimating the costs of environmental dredging is req uired. Simple estimators exist in which the total dredging cost is based on the volume of material dredged. Unfortunately, these empirical estimators cannot accurately predict the cost of an environmental dredging project whe n production rates are slower than normal. An equation was developed for es timating the costs of hydraulic dredging that contains variables to accommo date the lower production rate of environmental dredging and empirical cost coefficients that were derived from the actual costs of 18 navigational dr edging projects in the U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes. A similar equation wa s developed for mechanical dredging based on 20 Great Lakes dredging projec ts. The sensitivity of the total dredging cost predicted by these equations with respect to the input parameters was determined. The cost predictions of these equations compared favorably with those of the simple empirical es timators for navigational dredging projects.