2011 Areas to be Dredged
Great Lakes Navigation
The Great Lakes serve as the nation's fourth sea coast by transporting vital
commodities to and from the nation's heartland. Waterborne commerce is
critical to the regional and national economy. Commercial navigation on the
Great Lakes is dominated by the transport of raw materials for steel making,
coal-fired power production, and construction materials such as limestone,
cement, stone gravel. Total annual commerce on the Great Lakes averages over
175 million tons. The St. Lawrence Seaway is a dynamic, international
waterway stretching over 2,000 miles from the Gulf of the St. Lawrence
Seaway on the Atlantic coast to the tip of Lake Superior at Duluth,
Minnesota. The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway generates $5 billion annually
in income and directly supports 67,000 jobs. In addition, recreational
boating contributes approximately $9 billion annually to the regional
economy.
The Great Lakes system includes 47 deep draft ports and 55 shallow draft
harbors. Waterborne commerce is more economical and environmentally sound
form of transportation and is made possible by partnerships with government
agencies and industry in both the United States and Canada.
Maintaining the Great Lakes Navigation System:
*Great Lakes navigation requires maintenance by dredging channels and
harbors. Approximately 25 activities a year remove 2-4 million cubic yards
of lake bottom material. In addition to maintaining the channels for
navigation, the Corps of Engineer's dredging program benefits environmental
restoration of the Great Lakes. Over 90 million cubic yards of contaminated
sediments, which threaten the health of the surrounding 8 states,
municipalities, and the fisheries, have been removed and safely confined.
In addition to dredging operations, safe operation and maintenance of the
734 miles of Great Lakes navigation channel is possible by the Corps of
Engineers ongoing activities to map and survey the lakes, build and maintain
150 miles of breakwater, and operate and maintain 25 lock chambers and 44
confined disposal facilities for dredge sediment.
USACE National Navigation Program:
Every day thousands of vessels move people, animals, and products across the
country via the nation's rivers and harbors. This water traffic is a vital
component of the nation's economy. One of the Corps primary missions is to
ensure that this traffic can move safely, reliably, and efficiently and with
minimal impact on the environment.
The Corps primary navigation responsibilities include planning and
constructing new navigation channels and locks and dams, and dredging to
maintain channel depths at U.S. harbors and on inland waterways.
The Corps operates and maintains 12,000 miles of inland and intracoastal
waterway navigable channels, including 192 commercial lock and dam sites,
and is responsible for ports and waterways in 41 states.
In partnership with local port authorities, Corps personnel oversee dredging
and construction projects at hundreds of ports and harbors at an average
annual cost of over $1.3 billion. The Corps dredges over 250 million cubic
yards of material each year to keep the nation's waterways navigable. Much
of this dredged material is reused for environmental restoration projects
including the creation of wetlands.
Final - Buffalo Harbor Dredging Environmental Assessment
For more information on the Buffalo River restoration effort please visit:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/54166.html
|
