Corps of Engineers: Massive Dredging Project to Maintain Shipping Channels

A massive dredging project at the Baltimore Harbor underscores the tight, cooperative relationship between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Maryland Port Administration (MPA) — a bond that has been vital to the state’s maritime success. The goal of this latest venture is to remove about 1 million cubic yards of mud, silt, sand, shell and other materials as part of a $14.1 million contract. The finished product will have the depth and width required for shipping channels around the Port of Baltimore, which is one of the top maritime destinations in the world.

“Maintaining the shipping channels associated with Baltimore Harbor is extremely important economically to the City of Baltimore, State of Maryland, and throughout our entire region,” said Baltimore District Commander Col. Ed Chamberlayne, who also serves as the Supervisor of the Harbor for Baltimore Harbor. “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 main work of this project, under a contract awarded to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock of Oak Brook, Ill., will be done to the following areas:

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)

The Corps of Engineers and the MPA are also ensuring that the work will be beneficial to the environment. The roughly 500,000 cubic yards of material dredged from Craighill Angle will be reused at the Paul S. Sarbanes Ecosystem Restoration Project at Poplar Island, which is located on the eastern side of the Chesapeake Bay. The roughly 540,000 cubic yards of material dredged from Brewerton Angle will be placed at the Cox Creek Dredged Material Containment Facility (DMCF). Finally, the material removed from Ferry Bar will be placed at a Confined Aquatic Disposal Cell located adjacent to the Masonville DMCF. The relationship and stewardship of the Corps of Engineers and the MPA goes well beyond dredging. The two sides actively embark on projects that help the area’s waterways and surrounding communities. “The quality working relationship that we enjoy with Col. Chamberlayne and the Army Corps of Engineers is a key reason for the success of our dredging program,” MPA Executive Director James J. White said. “Working hand in hand, together we have been able to rebuild eroded islands to their original acreage that are now home to different species of wildlife and waterfowl.”The Corps of Engineers and MPA have been partnering since the late 1990s to restore Poplar Island using dredged material from the Port’s shipping channels. The Poplar Island project restores 1,140 acres of remote island habitat in Chesapeake Bay, including 570 acres of tidal wetlands and will hold 40 million cubic yards of dredged material. This partnership and the project’s benefits to the Port and the Bay have been so successful that it is being expanded by another 575 acres, which began in 2016. The expansion will use an additional 28 million cubic yards of material from the Port’s 50-foot deep shipping channels to expand the upland and wetland habitat. “The partnership between MPA and the Baltimore District Corps drives success for the entire Port of Baltimore by keeping the shipping channels open for waterborne commerce while beneficially using dredged material to help with Bay restoration,” said Chris Correale, MPA’s Director of Harbor Development. “Projects like Poplar Island and its expansion showcase the Baltimore District’s innovative thinking and problem solving capabilities — a hallmark of the partnership between MPA and the Baltimore District Corps that is the envy of other ports.”OVERALL, THE CORPS’

BALTIMORE DISTRICT:

– employs 1,200 civilian and 15 active military personnel;

– maintains 290 miles of federal channels;

– oversees 148 miles of federal flood protection levees, preventing approximately $16 billion in damages to date;

– manages 15 reservoir projects, preventing approximately $4 billion in damages to date;

– runs 11 recreation projects that have hosted more than 15 million visitors; and

– supports oyster habitat by constructing 500 acres of new Maryland oyster bars.

The Corps’ Baltimore District, which is moving from 10 S. Howard St. to 2 Hopkins Plaza in the city’s central business district by early 2018, has recently been recognized for its work. In February, Mary Foutz, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District Military Design Branch, Mechanical Section Chief, received a national award as an agency winner during the “Federal Engineer of the Year Award” ceremony at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Feb. 17, 2017. “It’s a big deal that you’re a part of this small group,” said Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite, Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the Corps. The Corps’ mission has led to some state-of-the-art programs in Maryland. In the past year, the Corps of Engineers’ Baltimore District resumed the construction of oyster reefs in the Tred Avon River Oyster Sanctuary in Talbot County. On Sept. 26, 2016, the Corps awarded an approximately $1 million contract to Blue Forge LLC, a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business, to construct the reefs. Eight acres of reefs will be restored using aged mixed shell in water depths greater than nine feet. The mixed shell, which comes from processing plants in the mid-Atlantic, will be imported and placed in the river.“Our team is excited to continue restoration work in the Tred Avon River to reach established oyster restoration goals,” said Angie Sowers, Corps, Baltimore District Integrated Water Resources Management Specialist. “Successful oyster restoration is a key component of overall Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts, and we look forward to continuing to work with all of our partners to ensure we are conducting restoration efforts as effectively and efficiently as possible.” There is a total of 78 acres of reef restoration work identified in the Tred Avon River Oyster Restoration Tributary Plan, plus placement of spat-on-shell (baby oysters) on an additional 69 acres of existing low-density oyster reefs, for a total of 147 acres.

Source: Port of Baltimore