BACKGROUND: A CDF is an engineered structure designed to provide the required storage volume for dredged material and to meet the required suspended solids concentration in effluent released from the facility. Procedures for design of CDFs for storage volume and for suspended solids retention are provided in Engineer Manual 1110-2-5027 (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) 1987). A CDF may be constructed as an upland site, as a nearshore site with one or more sides exposed to the water, or as an island containment area. The joint USACE and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) document “Evaluating Environmental Effects of Dredged Material Management Alternatives - A Technical Framework” (USACE/USEPA 1992) provides guidance for selecting an appropriate dredged material disposal alternative.