Sediment Infilling Rate of Lowermost Mississippi River Borrow Pits and Impacts on Downstream Dredging

The work presented in this report uses numerical models and field observations to investigate the governing processes that control borrow pit infilling in the Mississippi River to promote sustainable sand extraction. The analysis focuses on borrow pit infilling rates, and on the local and regional effects induced by the presence of borrow pits. This study aims to help planners, project managers, engineers, and scientists make informed decisions about restoration projects using renewable river sand/sediment by providing insights into the rate at which sand can be sustainably extracted from river bars. The study utilized and leveraged existing borrow pit bathymetry surveys and sediment observations to improve the scientific understanding of borrow area morphologic response and dynamics, calibrate and validate numerical models, and compare survey results with model predictions.