Sand mining in New York Harbor ( USA).

During the past several decades, the Lower Bay of New York Harbor has been an important source of sand and gravel for fill and construction aggregate in the New York Metropolitan area. Sand and gravel for several large public works projects have been supplied from the bay and, between 1966-73, about 4.2 X 10⁶ m³/yr were removed. In the late 1970s, increasing environmental concerns prompted studies to be done of the impact of underwater mining in the bay. Although these studies were a qualified success at addressing the concerns, no completely acceptable sites emerged. By 1978 sand mining in the bay had virtually ceased. To increase the potential for a continuing mining operation, a new plan was proposed for restoring mined areas by filling borrow pits with dredged sediments. The new plan was studied by the US Army Corps of Engineers as an alternative method of dredged sediment disposal, and plans are now being made to implement this option.-Author