ERDC/CHL CETN-IV-28
September 2000
The economic lever underlying the DMS concept is that a low-level analysis can yield
substantial cost savings without interrupting ongoing O&M activities and schedule. The DMS is
intended to provide feasible alternatives within the dredging cycle of the subject project. The
application time and effort in applying the DMS are expected to be relative to the maintenance
interval of the project.
STRATEGY: The DMS is centered on an experienced-based methodology for solving
sediment-shoaling problems. It comprises a suite of diagnostic tools intended for application by
engineers engaged in the planning, design, and maintenance of navigation projects, channels, and
waterways. As such, the DMS takes a common sense approach to guide the engineer through the
systematic identification and characterization of shoaling problems, determination of their
causative factors, and the development of practical, cost-effective solutions. To accomplish this,
the DMS methodology provides a suite of engineering guides, procedures, and analytical tools,
all of which are founded upon the principles of fluid dynamics and sediment transport. These
tools can be applied either independently or in combination with coastal hydrodynamic models.
As a diagnostic procedure, the DMS is not intended to provide the level of detailed information
required for final design or for in-depth study of a newly authorized project. Rather, it is
primarily intended to function as a screening tool to rapidly diagnose existing shoaling problems,
to categorize them according to their key characteristics, and to identify corrective actions that
can be taken within the project's existing authorization. The entire DMS diagnostic procedure
should be capable of completion within a time span shorter than the historical project dredging
cycle.
DMS COMPONENTS: The DMS procedure is exercised through its three components called
the Manual, the Data Manager, and the Analytical Toolbox. Typically, these procedures are
applied in the order listed.
Manual
The DMS Manual is a Web-based reference document containing definition sketches,
photographs of examples, and, in the future, remediation information for different shoaling
categories based on case examples.
The manual may be accessed from
http://www.taylorengineering.com/DMShome/DMSDefault.htm and by clicking on title links listed in
Table 1 if this CETN is being read as a hyperlinked document. The site is hosted at a consulting
company assisting in development of the DMS. The Manual functions as a "field guide" in
classifying shoaling by the mechanisms that create the shoaling pattern and the geometric or
morphologic situation (e.g., Gosselin, Craig, and Taylor 1999; Kraus, Mark, and Sarruff 2000).
Because a principal feature of the Manual is visual identification, it is a Web-based evolving
document that is anticipated to expand as more examples and processes are found. At present,
the Manual contains six major categories as listed in Table 1, each category containing several
types of sediment shoaling patterns and causes.
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