DCA News

Welcome to the DCA 2007 News archive page.

The intended usage of this page is to maintain previous posts industry events, information and resources for the dredging industry from 2007. To view current industry news, please visit our Current DCA News page.

• WEDA Pacific Chapter 2007 Fall Conference
The WEDA Pacific Chapter held its annual meeting in Honolulu, HI on 24-26 October 2007.  The meeting began with an afternoon Corps/Industry Partnering Session led by James Bartha, SPD Regional Contracting Chief.  This session was followed by District dredging schedule discussions for SPD, NWD and POD.  The next two days included technical discussions and presentations about navigation planning studies. For conference presentations and more information, click on the folder below.

• WEDA Eastern Chapter 2007 Fall Conference
Held at Penn’s Landing along the Philadelphia waterfront from October 9-11, this year’s WEDA Eastern Chapter conference focused on dredge schedules, future port deepening dredging projects, bridge infrastructure, the East Coast Biological Assessment and other critical and timely issues. Present were representatives from the nation’s leading dredging companies, Corps of Engineers project managers and personnel, other Federal agency representatives, port representatives, and consultants. For all the conference presentations, agenda, and attendance list, click on the folder below.

• ICHDMG October 2007
The Industry/Corps Hopper Dredge Management Group held its third meeting of the year on October 11, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia, PA.  Click on the folder below to access the meeting materials.
ICHDMG October 2007 Meeting

• Restore America’s Estuaries 4th National Conference and Call for Papers
Restore America’s Estuaries is pleased to announce the Call for Dedicated Sessions, Presentations and Posters for the 4th National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration – Creating Solutions through Collaborative Partnerships.

Proposals are due January 31, 2008. To download the Call for Dedicated Sessions, Presentations and Posters, visit www.estuaries.org/conference.

Estuaries and coasts are an important part of America's economy, history, and living culture. Restore America's Estuaries' 4th National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration is the only national conference focused on the goals and practices of coastal and estuarine habitat restoration. The five-day Conference will explore the state-of-the-art in all aspects and scales of restoration, and will be comprised of field sessions, plenary sessions, expert presentations, special evening events, workshops, a poster hall, and a Restoration Exposition.

The 4th National Conference will be held in New England, October 11-15, 2008 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence. Renowned for its natural beauty, history, and cultural offerings, the autumn colors of New England will set the background for this premier event.

The 4th National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration will advance the science, pace, practice, and success of habitat restoration at all scales. Past Conference locations include Baltimore in April 2003 (800 attendees), Seattle in September 2004 (1,000 attendees), and New Orleans in December 2006 (1,400 attendees). The Conference brings together the entire coastal and estuarine habitat restoration community. It provides a unique blend of people and policy, science and strategy, business and best practices.

The Conference Program will address all aspects of coastal and estuarine habitat restoration, in all habitats and at all scales. Habitat restoration – manipulation of the physical, chemical or biological characteristics of a site with the goal of returning self-sustaining natural or historic structure and functions to former or degraded habitat – offers great promise for reversing trends of habitat loss and degradation and is a crucial component of comprehensive ecosystem restoration, protection and management. Resilient coastal habitat and ecosystems are essential for the maintenance and security of the economic, ecological, social and spiritual fabric of our lives.

For more information, contact Steve Emmett-Mattox at 303-652-0392 or program@estuaries.org.

• DCA / Corps of Engineers Partnership
The Corps hosted our fourth Partnering Session at Corps Headquarters on 27 September 2007.  Corps attendees included Major General Don T. Riley and senior HQ staff from Civil Works, Colonel Doyle and his staff from the PARCs office, and Angie Premo, Navigation Program Manager from the South Atlantic Division. A number of high-level representatives from DCA member companies, as well as Barry Holliday and Jim Rausch were in attendance. The following issues were discussed: Overdepth Dredging, FedTeDs, Hydrographic Surveying, Construction Partnering, Emergency Dredging, Pre-bid Communications, SAD MATOC, Continuing Contracts Clause, Turtles, Silent Inspector, and Dredge Cost Estimating.  To access the agenda and issue papers, please click here.  ~ October 2007

• DCA/Corps Q&A Session at WEDA Eastern Chapter Meeting – October 2007

• The latest Silent Inspector Board of Directors Meeting was held on 24 September 2007 in Washington, D.C. The meeting minutes and list of participants are provided as a PDF. The SI website is: http://si.usace.army.mil/ For the Corps’ latest status memo on the Silent Inspector program click here

• News Announcement: Senate passes Water Resources Development Act 2007 Conference Report by a vote of 81-12 on 24 September 2007.

• News announcement: House Passes Water Resources Development Act 2007 Conference Report by a vote of 381-40 on 1 August 2007.

• Mike Hooks, Inc. and Orion Marine Group Join the DCA
The staff and member companies of the Dredging Contractors of America are very pleased to welcome Mike Hooks, Inc. and Orion Marine Group into the national dredging and marine construction trade association.

Founded in 1945, Mike Hooks, Inc. continues to prosper as a family-owned and operated enterprise with offices in Lake Charles, Louisiana and Houston, Texas. They provide dredging services on a variety of government and private marine construction contracts spanning the Gulf Coast Region, from Brownsville, Texas to the Florida Panhandle. Such services include navigable waterways maintenance dredging, wetland replenishment, beach restoration, harbor excavation, and new construction.

Orion Marine Group has been in business for more than 60 years in the state of Texas and is a leading global marine contractor who performs a wide range of new construction, maintenance, repair, and inspection services on, over, and under the water. They own, operate, and maintain an array of equipment, including a tugboat fleet, dredging and pile-driving rigs, pipe-lay barges, cranes, marsh buggies, and dive-support vessels. Its dredging division, King Fisher Marine Service, performs hydraulic, mechanical, environmental, and specialty dredging along the Texas coast for both public and private customers. For more information about Orion Marine Group and its activities, please visit their website at www.orionmarinegroup.com. ~ July 2007

•DCA 2007 Congressional Reception
On June 12, 2007, the Dredging Contractors of America hosted its annual reception on Capitol Hill.  Senior executives from the nation’s leading dredging and marine construction companies, representatives from national maritime organizations and interest groups, and key congressional members and staff came together in the Gold Room of the Rayburn House Office Building for an evening of entertainment and networking.  Barry Holliday, Technical Director of the DCA, presented the William R. Murden Lifetime Public Service Achievement Award to Jerry Barnes, former Chief of Operations at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  See pictures.

•ICHDMG June 2007
The Industry/Corps Hopper Dredge Management Group held its second meeting of the year on June 12, 2007 at the Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington, Virginia.  Click on the folder below to access the meeting materials.

ICHDMG June 2007 Meeting

•The Corps of Engineers held its 2007 National Dredging Meeting at the Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington, Virginia on June 13.  Click on the folder below to access the PowerPoint presentations and other meeting materials.

2007 National Dredging Meeting

•Overdepth Dredging and Characterization Depth Recommendations - Technical Note This is a PDF document, found on http://el.erdc.usace.army.mil

•DCA Published its FY 2006 Annual Report on March 12, 2007.  For further details, please click here

•The Silent Inspector (SI) Board of Directors (BoD) Meeting was held on Thursday-Friday, 22-23 February, in Washington, D.C. The meeting agenda, minutes and list of participants are provided as a PDF.  Please note the Action Items listed at the end of the minutes.  The SI website is: http://si.usace.army.mil/

•U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Names Dredge America, Inc. to the Honor Roll
Dredge America, Inc., a national portable hydraulic dredging company, was recognized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District for two distinguished awards:  “2006 Zero Accident Award” and “2006 Safety Honor Roll Award.”  Both awards were presented to Dredge America employees Mike Kerns and J.B. Pellicer at a ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee.  The awards recognize contractors who maintain zero lost time accidents and deliver exceptional performance in maintaining accident levels below the Corps’ South Atlantic Division’s frequency rates.  Congratulations Dredge America!!

•Restore America’s Estuaries 3rd National Conference
On December 9-13, 2006, the habitat restoration community met in New Orleans, Louisiana for Restore America’s Estuaries 3rd National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration to share their work, spirit and energy in pursuing coastal restoration as a national imperative.

The five-day conference offered over 82 sessions exploring the latest advances in all aspects of habitat restoration – from planning and design to monitoring and evaluation, and from science and practice to partnerships and community involvement. There were approximately an astounding 1,400 attendees, 175 poster presentations, 140 exhibitors and 205 sponsors and partners. Attendees came from throughout the U.S. and abroad to learn about the challenges facing our nation’s coasts and estuaries and represented all segments of the restoration community, including businesses and corporations, governments at all levels, tribes, non-profit organizations and science and academic professionals.

DCA was both a sponsor and exhibitor at this conference. Michael Gerhardt attended on behalf of the association.

To view the company-specific slideshows on habitat construction which were displayed at the DCA exhibit booth, click on the link below. ~January 2007

•DCA / Corps of Engineers Partnership
The Corps hosted our third Partnering Session at Corps Headquarters on 13 December 2006.  Corps attendees included Major General Don Riley, Director of Civil Works, Jerry Barnes, Chief Operations Division, Gary Loew, Chief Programs Division, Jim Walker, Acting Navigation Program Manager, Mike Kidby, Navigation Program Office, Tony Niles from the Engineering Topographic Laboratory, Paul Personeault from Engineering and Construction Division, and Jacque Faught, from the Principal Assistant Responsible for Contracting Office. Additionally, Division Navigation Business Line Managers were in attendance from Lakes and Rivers Division – Bill Harder, Southwest Division – Ronn Brock, South Atlantic Division – Angie Premo, and Northwest Division – John Larandeau.   DCA attendees included Eric Haug, Kurt Luedke, Rick Smith, Dan Hussin, Mark Sickles, Bill Hanson, Barry Holliday and Jim Rausch.

The following issues were discussed: Overdepth Dredging, FedTeds, Hydrographic surveying, Construction Partnering, Emergency Dredging, Pre-bid Communications, SAD MATOC, Continuing Contracts Clause, and Dredge Cost Estimating.  Gary Loew discussed future budget challenges and the FY 07 continuing resolution. ~ December 2006

•WEDA Eastern and Gulf Chapters 2006 Fall Conference
This year’s WEDA Fall Conference was a joint Annual Meeting of the Eastern and Gulf Chapters and held in conjunction with the North and South Atlantic Divisions and the Gulf Coast Districts of the Army Corps of Engineers’ Annual Corps/Industry Regional Dredging Meetings.  Extremely well attended, the conference unfolded at the Savannah Desoto Hilton in the heart of the historic district from October 24th through the 26th.  Present were representatives from eight of the nation’s leading dredging companies, Corps of Engineers project managers and personnel, other Federal agency representatives, port representatives, and consultants.

The program focus was “Dredging Today and in the Future”. On the agenda were a number of topics, such as dredge schedules from the various Corps divisions, future port development and deepening plans, restoration projects for coastal Louisiana, and turtle-taking.  Highlighting the conference on October 26th were a roundtable discussion on Multiple Award Task Order Contracts and a Contracting Officers Panel Discussion, which were especially well attended and created a healthy dialogue between the Corps and industry.  An Industry/Corps Hopper Dredge Management Group (ICHDMG) session followed immediately thereafter.

Lastly, the original Southern elegance of the Telfair Sculpture Gallery and Rotunda, with its period rooms and various decorative arts collections, served as a splendid setting for the WEDA Reception and Banquet on the night of Wednesday, Oct. 25th. Currently, there are tentative plans to schedule the 2007 Fall Conference at a location to be decided in the Gulf Region.

To access all of the documents related to the meetings that occurred during October 24-26, 2006, such as the WEDA Fall Conference, the MATOC Roundtable Discussion, the Contracting Officers Panel Discussion and the Industry/Corps Hopper Dredge Management Group session, click on the folder below.    

•AAPA – Corps of Engineers Quality Partnership Initiative Project Managers Workshop
Held October 11 & 12, 2006 in Portland, Oregon. DCA Members were presenters and attendees at this conference. For speaker presentations, click here: http://www.aapa-ports.org/Programs/PastDetail.cfm?itemnumber=1565

•Pacific Northwest Waterways Association 2006 Annual Meeting
Held October 11-13, 2006 in Tacoma, Washington. For speaker presentations, click here: http://www.pnwa.net/new/2006_AnnualMeeting_SpeakerPresentations.aspx

•ASBPA 2006 Fall Conference and 80th Anniversary Celebration
Held October 8-11, 2006 in Long Branch, NJ. DCA Members were sponsors, presenters and attendees at this conference. Jim Rausch represents DCA on the Board of ASBPA. For speaker presentations, click here: http://www.asbpa.org/conferences/conferences.htm

•DCA / Corps of Engineers Partnership
The DCA has been at the forefront of efforts that include establishment of formal partnering at the highest levels of the Corps and other government entities on issues such as over-depth dredging, emergency response, funding, contractual policy issues, project estimating, and the environment.  The DCA has earned the respect of the Corps and other maritime groups for its ability to bring a broad base of industry decision-makers to the table for open and frank discussions of policy issues important to all stakeholders.  The DCA and the Corps held their first partnering meeting in May of this year and the second in July; the third is scheduled for December. ~ October 2006