Even if the deeper channel itself is not a problem, what about the private berths that oil companies and others will have to deepen as well?
The Corps’ testing of the potential impacts of sediment contaminants included samples taken from the “feeder” berths adjacent to the channel. Test results showed contaminant levels in the berths to be essentially the same as in the main channel—low to moderate and within an applicable range for environmental protection. Moreover, port facilities currently maintain their berthing areas (at the 40-foot level) through dredging, for which they had to obtain permits from the appropriate state and federal agencies. So, these berthing area sediments have been tested in the past and have been found sufficiently clean to allow dredging operations.
