The New England Regional Dredging Team (NERDT)
In 1993, the Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration initiated the Interagency Working Group on the Dredging Process to evaluate problems and delays encountered with dredging the Nation’s ports. The Working Group held public hearings at several locations, including Boston, to obtain input and released a report of its findings in December 1994. One of eighteen recommendations was that National and Regional Dredging Issue Teams be established to “provide a mechanism for timely resolution of conflicts by involving all agencies, and maximizing interagency coordination.” The Sudbury Group was formed prior to this recommendation and adopted the title of: “New England Interagency Working Group on Dredged Material Management”.
Mechanical dredge working on the water
A National Dredging Team was formed in 1995 and began to coordinate the efforts of Regional Dredging Teams and developed an Action Agenda in 2003 with 22 recommendations addressing beneficial use of dredged material, regional sediment management, emerging issues, and strengthening Regional Dredging Teams. Click here to view EPA’s 2003 Action Agenda.
The NERDT has actively participated in this national dialogue and hosted a meeting of the NDT and all Regional Dredging Teams in Boston in 2006.
National Dredging Team
The NDT is a Federal inter-agency group that includes the following agencies:
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Co-chair
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Co-chair
- Maritime Administration
- NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service
- NOAA’s National Ocean Service
- Fish and Wildlife Service
- U.S. Coast Guard