At the Dredging 2015 Conference in Savannah, FTG Vice President J. Kucera co-taught a full-day course: “Designing for Coastal Protection, Beneficial Use of Dredged Materials and Sediment Dewatering with Geotextile Tubes.” The course covered design fundamentals, field considerations, and performance expectations for both coastal and dewatering applications.
Two Applications, One Technology
In coastal applications, geotextile tubes filled with sand or dredged material build protective structures — perimeter dikes for hurricane protection islands, breakwaters for marsh restoration, groins and revetments. In dewatering applications, tubes allow water to pass through the fabric while retaining solids — as demonstrated at Savanna Street Wastewater Treatment Plant, where 235 TITANTubes® dewatered 92,000 dry tons of municipal biosolids.
Beneficial Use
Dredged material can often be used directly to fill tubes forming protective or restorative structures. At Bird Island Cove, dredged material filled TITANTube® breakwaters that protected and restored 70 acres of estuarine marsh complex — turning navigational dredge spoils into coastal habitat infrastructure.
