Guest Column: Riverkeeper Explains Opposition to Current Dredging Plans

By removing 18 million cubic yards of rock and sediment to make the river nearly 18 percent deeper, we know salt water will move farther upstream.

It has occurred with previous dredging projects and will happen again this time. This increase in salinity will likely damage or destroy hundreds of acres of wetlands, submerged grasses and trees in parts of the river and its tributaries, such as Julington Creek and the Ortega River. Critical habitat for fisheries and pollution filters for the river will be lost.

When the Corps of Engineers released the draft of the Environmental Impact Statement in June 2013, the study of the proposed dredging lacked critical analysis and data that were essential to the decision-making process.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE