Sustainable dredging program on the lower Fraser River

The Fraser River Port Authority dredges the Fraser River to maintain navigation in support of the port activities. Sales of the dredged river sand are the only source of revenue offsetting the cost of dredging. The Port Authority does not have the key success factors to compete in the sand market. The burden of dredging impedes the economic development of the Fraser River Port. The Port Authority can change the status quo by extracting more value from the dredged river sand, implementing a user-pay system, reducing the scope of dredging, or obtaining government funding for dredging. The goals for the dredging program are efficient use of resources, equitable distribution of costs and benefits, no negative net impact on the environment, and acceptability to stakeholders. The analysis recommends that the Port Authority extract more value from the dredged material by utilizing it in land reclamation projects.