US Army Corps of Engineers backs beleaguered Savannah dredging scheme
2012 04 17
- Details
AFTER 15 years of study, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has released final documents supporting the Savannah Harbour Expansion Project (SHEP).
"The study released today clearly shows that deepening the Savannah port will produce powerful economic benefits to the nation and to Georgia," said Georgia Governor Nathan Deal in a statement issued by port authorities.
Dredging of the river has been fraught with controversy with environmentalists and partisan interests backing the rival Port of Charleston, South Carolina, working jointly and severally to thwart the plan.
At first South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley opposed it, backing her state environmental regulator's opposition, but objections dissolved after a lunch with Georgia Governor Deal. Angry South Carolina state legislators, either fearful for the fate of the fish or the diminished prospects of the Port of Charleston, passed a bill to stop the dredging, but Governor Haley vetoed it.
Environmentalists say they oppose the scheme because the 38-mile line of dredging would deplete the river's dissolved oxygen needed by shortnose sturgeon as well as devastating hundreds of acres of swamp. But many opponents of the dredging want it done in Charleston to make their own port more competitive.
In the studies released by the Army Corps, the Savannah project is estimated to cost US$652 million and will provide $174 million in annual net benefits to the United States. For every dollar spent on infrastructure improvement, US$5.5 will be returned in benefits to the nation, the Corps' studies showed.
The Corps announced that the SHEP will increase the depth of the Savannah River by an additional five feet to 47 at low water. "We all know how critical this extra depth is to the ability of our nation to move cargo efficiently," said Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) executive director Curtis Foltz.
"The depth, along with an average seven-foot tide, strikes the right balance between the needs of our industry and the environment of the Savannah River. Nearly 40 per cent of the project cost is dedicated to environmental mitigation, preservation of cultural resources or the improvements to river access for the public."
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
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