Piedroba contracted to teach in-house version of Dredging Fundamentals at Savannah District

Piedroba was contacted early November by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (The Corps) to teach Dredging Fundamentals at the Savannah District. The Savannah District placed this specific request to prepare and train its staff for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP). During the week long session the students learned fundamental dredging theory and practice through lectures, field trips, group discussions and examinations.    The team of instructors from Piedroba teamed up with The Corps Coastal Navigation Manger Jeffrey McKee and Corps Safety Manger Thomas Verna to teach topics such as: ‘Overview of Corps Dredging Program, Design of Corps Navigation Projects’, Types of Dredges in the United States Dredging Market, Hydraulic and Mechanical Dredging, Dredging Safety, Environmental Dredging, Corps Scheduling and Estimating, and Corps Contact Administration. 

With an estimated total project cost at roughly $650 million, SHEP is one of the largest harbor deepening projects in the last couple decades in the United States (US). SHEP consists of both a significant dredging and heavy environmental mitigation component. The dredging component itself will have a pipeline and hopper dredging component, making SHEP a diverse and challenging project to be constructed. 

About the United States Army Corps of Engineers:
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (The Corps) has approximately 34,000 dedicated Civilians and Soldiers delivering engineering services to customers in more than 90 countries worldwide. With environmental sustainability as a guiding principle, the disciplined Corps team is working diligently to strengthen our Nation’s security by building and maintaining America’s infrastructure and providing military facilities where our service members train, work and live. The Corps is also researching and developing technology for our war fighters while protecting America’s interests abroad by using our engineering expertise to promote stability and improve quality of life. The Corps energizes the economy by dredging America’s waterways to support the movement of critical commodities and providing recreation opportunities at campgrounds, lakes and marinas. And by devising hurricane and storm damage reduction infrastructure, reducing risks from disasters.
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The men and women of the Corps are protecting and restoring the Nation’s environment including critical efforts in the Everglades, the Louisiana coast, and along many of our Nation’s major waterways.  The Corps is also cleaning sites contaminated with hazardous, toxic or radioactive waste and material in an effort to sustain the environment.