Posted on February 14, 2017
By Kathleen Cairns, FOX NEWS
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Boat Capt. Ryan Schuman looks out the window of the boat, “Linthicum.”
“This is my office,” he says, with a smile.
He is part of a team overseeing the dredging project right now in Baltimore’s Harbor.
Time has eroded away some of the shipping channels. They need to be at a depth of 50 feet so the large international barges can pass through. The engineers and teams out on the water are removing roughly 1 million cubic yards of material from Baltimore Harbor channels. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, are mobilizing to dredge material as part of a navigation project via a $14.1 million contract awarded this past fall.
It is being done to ensure continued safe navigation for vessels going in and out of the Port of Baltimore.
“It’s very important that we dredge down to the controlling depths so ships can safely transverse in and out of the harbor,” Project Manager Tiffany Burroughs said. “It’s a really huge economic driver, the Baltimore Harbor, so it is imperative we make sure they are dredged and maintained.”
Baltimore District Commander Col. Ed Chamberlayne stated, “That is why we are committed to continuing to work closely with our partners in the Maryland Port Administration to maintain these critical water transportation systems.”
The following channels associated with the Port of Baltimore will be dredged to their respective authorized dimensions, plus specified allowable overdepths ranging from one to two feet:
- Brewerton Angle to a depth of 51 feet and width of 700 feet (roughly 540,000 cubic yards);
- Craighill Angle to a depth of 51 feet and width of 700 feet (roughly 460,000 cubic yards);
- Ferry Bar to a depth of 42 feet and width of 600 feet (roughly 73,000 cubic yards);
Approximately 1 million cubic yards of material consisting primarily of mud, silt, sand, shell is being removed from the channels.
“In coordination with the State of Maryland, the roughly 500,000 cubic yards of material dredged from Craighill Angle will be beneficially reused at the Paul S. Sarbanes Ecosystem Restoration Project at Poplar Island located on the eastern side of the Chesapeake Bay,” The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wrote in a release. “Also in coordination with the State of Maryland, the roughly 540,000 cubic yards of material dredged from Brewerton Angle will be placed at the Cox Creek Dredge Material Containment Facility (DMCF) and the material removed from Ferry Bar will be placed at a Confined Aquatic Disposal Cell located adjacent to the Masonville DMCF.”
The dredging is slated for completion this spring.
Source: FOX NEWS
