Why are environmentalists cautioning that dredging Delaware Bay could hurt the horseshoe crab population?
Biden’s lawsuit asks the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware to declare the corps’ decision in violation of state and federal law and requests the court to issue a preliminary injunction to halt dredging until the corps obtains permits from DNREC. The corps project intends to dredge the main shipping channel of the river from 40 feet to 45 feet. Dredged material would be stored in federally owned sites in New Jersey and Delaware, corps spokesman Edward Voigt said. Some material taken from the mouth of the bay would be used for beach nourishment at Broadkill Beach, he said. Biden said his office would work closely with New Jersey’s attorney general. New Jersey has also opposed the project, and was expected to file suit as well. Biden said, “The decision by the Army Corps of Engineers to begin deepening Delaware waters is a direct challenge to the territorial authority of the state of Delaware and violates federal and state law.” He said Delaware would aggressively enforce i
Material dredged from the main channel of the Delaware River will be stored at sites already used for dredge spoils in Delaware and New Jersey, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says. Environmentalists caution dredging the river could stir up hazardous contaminants that could be harmful to horseshoe crabs, blue crabs, sturgeon and other species. The corps announced last weekend it will begin dredging the river, even though Delaware environmental officials have denied permits for the project. New Jersey and Delaware officials say they are reviewing legal action on the corps’ plan to proceed. Four million cubic yards of material the corps will remove from the bay are set be used to restore wetlands on Kelly Island. The material that will be taken from the bay is nearly all sand, and it will be pumped directly to the reuse sites, he said. Sources: http://www.capegazette.com/storiescurrent/200911/dre
