Short Courses

Instructors: Allison Geiselbrecht (Floyd|Snider), Eric Litman (ERM NewFields), Leyla Shams (NewFields)

Course Objective: This course will cover the fundamentals of key ASTM sediment guidance related to sediment corrective actions, including an overview of the risk-based corrective action framework guidance, analytical guidance, monitoring program development, as well as the fundamentals of determining representative background concentrations for sediment sites. Additionally, the training will review ASTM guidance for performing non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) mobility/migration evaluations at sediment sites. At the end of the course, attendees would be familiar with these guidance documents and have a better understanding of approaches to – and resources for – sediment site assessment, including sediment-specific considerations.

Course Overview: This course will cover the fundamentals of key ASTM guidance related to contaminated sediment corrective action. The course will include an overview of the framework used for developing a risk-based corrective action (RBCA) process at a contaminated sediment site. The RBCA framework integrates risk assessment into the corrective action process so that actions are protective of human health and the environment. The course will also include an overview of the analytical methods and testing protocols commonly used during a sediment corrective action program and provides a framework for selecting and applying the methods and tests to best achieve program objectives. The course will also provide a summary of the fundamentals of determining representative background concentrations for sediment sites and will discuss the importance of background in developing corrective actions and will present an approach to derive technically defensible sediment background concentrations based on sound scientific practices. Additionally, the course will provide a summary of the six-step process for monitoring program development with specific considerations for the three stages of monitoring associated with sediment remediation activities. This will include considerations for baseline monitoring, remedy implementation monitoring, and post-remedy monitoring (performance and effectiveness monitoring). Last, the course will provide an overview of ASTM standard guides focused on evaluating NAPL mobility and migration in sediment by advective transport and evaluating ebullition and associated NAPL/contaminant transport (E3248, E3268, E3281, E3282, E3300, E3447).

At the end of the course, attendees will be familiar with ASTM sediment guidance and will have a better understanding of approaches to – and resources for – sediment corrective actions, including sediment-specific considerations. Attendees will be provided with references to the ASTM standard guides covered during the course.

Instructor: Donald Hayes (The Dredging Professor LLC)

Course Objective: This course will provide a comprehensive overview of important design considerations for remedial dredging projects. It will cover dredge selection and operation, sediment management, water quality impacts, residual sediments, and best management practices. The course will focus on practical, implementable approaches to remedial dredging projects.

Course Overview: This course will provide the information necessary to bring someone up to speed on all aspects of designing a remedial dredging project. The course will be organized in a manner that accommodates those with little or no background in dredging, while providing advanced technical information.

The first portion of the course will focus on site conditions and how those impact dredging operations. Utilizing sediment core data to design dredge templates will be discussed, considering dredge accuracy and site conditions. The course will also connect sediment characteristics and site conditions with dredge selection and sediment management alternatives.

The second portion of the course will focus on dredges and dredging operations. Operating characteristics of the major types of remedial dredges, hydraulic and mechanical, and their unique limitations, advantages, and disadvantages will be covered in detail. The course will present methods for estimating dredge production, including anticipated downtimes and extended non-productive time due to debris. The tie between available sediment management options and dredging selection will be discussed.

The third portion of the course will focus on environmental issues at the dredging site, specifically water quality impacts (sediment resuspension and contaminant release) and post-dredging surface characteristics (residual sediments). Techniques for estimating sediment resuspension rates and near-field losses from hydraulic and mechanical dredging operations will be presented as well as translating those into contaminant release estimates. How to tie these estimates into existing transport models will be discussed. Methods will be presented to estimate the mass and characteristics (physical and chemical) of residual sediments for different dredge types. Most importantly, however, this portion of the course will focus on best management practices (BMPs) to minimize sediment resuspension, contaminant release, and residuals. The use of silt curtains and other BMPs will be discussed.

The final portion of the course will focus on sediment management alternatives and technological advances that have potential to improve remedial dredging projects. Sediment management alternatives often drive dredge selection, sometimes even dredge operation. Synchronizing sediment management with dredge selection and operation usually leads to the most effective and efficient project design. Recent instrumentation advances will be discussed, including real-time surveying and equipment automation will be discussed with a focus on how innovation might increase project success.

*Laptop Required Course*

Instructors: Danny Reible (Texas Tech University), Xiaolong Shen (Arcadis), David Lampert (Illinois Institute of Technology), Espen Eek (Norwegian Geotechnical Institute)

Course Objectives: This short course will provide a comprehensive training session on using CapSIM in designing an in situ remediation approach. This course will include a brief introduction on the CapSIM model and its scientific background, a review of the functionality of this current model, and a hands-on training session with several examples.

Course Overview: CapSIM is designed to simulate contaminant transport in sediments. It was primarily developed to model contaminant transport through sediment caps for design purposes, but it can also be used to simulate contaminant migration in uncapped sediments (e.g., for evaluating natural recovery) and in situ treatment of sediments. CapSIM is a user-friendly, menu-driven software program equipped with a developed database for common contaminants in sediments, common solid materials, commercial sorbents, and an integrated estimator for a variety of common sediment parameters.

The introduction session will briefly discuss the scope and scientific background of the CapSIM model, including the fundamentals of 1-D contaminant transport in multi-layered sediment, common transport processes in surficial sediment and the sediment-water interface, and the design basis for using regular or active sorbents in sediments. This session will also include a brief discussion on the concepts of the in situ remediation, specifically on the design criteria.

Following the introduction, the course will review the functionality of the updated CapSIM model, explaining how it incorporates scientific background to simulate contaminant behaviors. This session will cover sediment and chemical parameters in CapSIM related to the transport model and system parameters correlating to numerical simulation results. Common assumptions for these input parameters and their impacts on results or design criteria will be discussed. The session will also demonstrate CapSIM's features, including the available database of contaminants and sorbents, the integrated estimator for calculating input parameters, and multiple input and output options for result presentation.

In the final session, a hands-on training session will show attendees how to use the program. Instructors will go through examples demonstrating discussions from previous sections, and users will be expected to follow along on their laptops to reinforce their understanding. Demonstration examples include a new simulation case for capping layer design and advanced cases involving sediment deposition, time-dependent advection flow rates, kinetic sorption of activated carbon, biogeochemical reactions, and more. The batch function, which provides flexibility for inputting time-dependent parameters and handling multi-scenario simulations, will be discussed at the end of this session.

*Laptop Required Course*

Instructors: Karl Rockne (National Science Foundation), Marzieh Mansouri (University of Illinois Chicago)

Course Objective: This course will provide an introduction to applying artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) to environmental and contaminated sediment data. Participants will learn the basic workflow for preparing environmental datasets, developing and interpreting predictive ML models, and understanding how these tools can be used to derive insights from data and support research and decision-making. Through a guided hands-on example using an environmental dataset, participants will gain practical experience applying ML workflow.

Course Overview: AI/ML is becoming an increasingly valuable tool for analyzing complex environmental datasets and supporting contaminated sediment investigations, monitoring programs, and remediation decision-making. Environmental data sets used in contaminated sediment management and assessment are often characterized by nonlinear relationships, missing data, spatial and temporal variability, and relatively small sample sizes, making them well-suited for modern data-driven approaches.

This course will provide a practical introduction to ML for environmental applications, with an emphasis on contaminated sediments and aquatic systems. Rather than focusing on programming or advanced mathematics, the course is designed to give participants a practical understanding of common ML methods and how they can be applied to environmental datasets.

The short course is divided into two parts. The first part introduces the fundamentals of ML, including common algorithms, data preprocessing, feature selection, model development, validation, and the strengths and limitations of different modeling approaches.

The second half of the short course comprises a guided, hands-on exercise in which participants will apply a ML workflow to an environmental dataset. Working through the dataset step by step, participants will gain practical experience preparing data, developing predictive models, and evaluating model performance.

Participants will leave the course with a basic understanding of the ML workflow and how these methods can be applied to support environmental research and decision-making. The course is intended for scientists, engineers, regulators, consultants, and researchers interested in incorporating ML into environmental and contaminated sediment studies.

Attendees are strongly encouraged to bring their own laptops to get the best experience from the hands-on course component.

Instructors: Craig Jones (Integral Consulting Inc.) and Jeff Rominger (Gradient Corporation)

Course Objective: This short course will present some common site management questions that rely on sediment transport or stability information. The course will begin with a general overview of best management practices to illustrate the importance of understanding the dominant physical processes and coupling conceptual site models with field studies and numerical models. Instructors will elaborate on focusing on critical information, choosing the type and amount of data, and the numerical accuracy required to answer specific questions.

Course Overview: This course is designed to provide attendees with the knowledge and tools needed to effectively manage sites where sediment erosion, deposition, and transport are crucial to planning and design. The session will begin with a comprehensive overview of best management practices, highlighting the importance of understanding the key physical processes that drive sediment dynamics. As the session progresses, the course will focus on the critical aspects of site management, including how to select the appropriate type and amount of data and ensure the numerical accuracy necessary to address specific questions. These concepts will be presented within a “generic” conceptual site model for sediment transport, illustrating the vital role of sediment stability in overall site management.

The most commonly employed techniques for characterizing sediment beds will be explored, highlighting the specific features and applications of each method. The course will then move into an examination of site-specific measurements, discussing how field and analytical tools can be integrated to provide actionable insights for site management.

The second half of the course will shift focus to quantitative numerical modeling, an essential component of modern sediment management. Attendees will learn how to select the appropriate model based on the problem at hand, develop and refine these models, and apply them with confidence. Creating a technically rigorous hydrodynamic and sediment transport modeling approach will be emphasized to reduce uncertainty and maximize efficiency in addressing sediment management challenges.

By the end of this course, attendees will have a solid foundation in the best practices, tools, and techniques necessary to manage sediment-related site issues effectively. Whether enhancing current strategies or exploring new approaches, this course will provide attendees with the understanding to make informed decisions.

This tour is ADA accessible. It is recommended that attendees bring water and comfortable walking shoes. This tour will consist of a 20 minute history overview held in the JW Marriott followed by a 1.5 mile walking tour of the site. Limited to 40 registrants; sign up early to ensure access.

Presenters: Tim Dekker (LimnoTech), Craig Taylor (LimnoTech)

Overview: Waller Creek was a severely incised, highly degraded scar cutting through downtown Austin, Texas. After decades of frequent flooding resulting from flashy urban hydrology, the City of Austin commissioned a flood diversion tunnel to divert flood waters from Waller Creek to Lake Lady Bird, thereby reducing the potential for urban flooding around the creek. This tunnel drastically altered the river hydrology, dampening flood flows and increasing baseflow.

The tunnel development left Lower Waller Creek ripe for restoration and a new greenway park. In this field trip, we will provide an orientation to the project at the conference venue, and then take a walking tour through the recently restored Confluence reach of the Waterloo Greenway. The tour is a short distance from the venue, and total walking distance will be approximately one mile on general level terrain.

Learning Objectives: The Waterloo Greenway project sought to elevate the post-tunnel creek from a degraded and underused urban stream to a truly immersive, engaging, and functioning ecosystem and parkscape.
During the tour we will be discussing:
• Creating floodplain function in a creek that is completely disconnected from its original floodplain
• Creating niche habitats within a heavy urban core
• Creating opportunities for stream evolution adjacent to critical infrastructure
• Creating spaces for humans and nature to thrive together
• Harnessing interdisciplinary partnerships necessary to create dynamic solutions
• Embracing the physical and logistical complexities of this type of project in order to do more with sites that are ready for restoration and revitalization