The plans to deepen the Savannah Harbor are still on the table. The Georgia Ports Authority, along with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD), and top state government officials are pushing to dredge the harbor from 42 feet to a whopping 48 feet- to accommodate the large container ships expected after the expansion of the Panama Canal in 2013. While the Savannah Riverkeeper supports economic growth within the region, we believe it should not come at the expense of our precious natural resources.
As the current plan dictates, the harbor dredging would push salt water levels even further upstream, threatening the vitality of our valuable tidal freshwater wetlands in the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. In addition, the plan would further endanger the federally protected short nose sturgeon. Perhaps the biggest impact would lie in the harbor dredging’s effect on our drinking water resources. If the current plan is enacted, the City of Savannah will be forced to move its’ drinking water intake at an estimated cost of $30 million- on top of the proposed $600 million for the harbor dredging- with taxpayers footing the bill.
Despite the fact these plans are in the works, it is unlikely the project will increase commerce at the Port of Savannah or create any new jobs within the region. SRK and our colleagues at the Southern Environmental Law Center are committed to the pursuit of ethical and effective mitigation practices to ensure the harbor deepening has minimal impact on our natural resources.
SHEP UPDATES
Recently, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Corps failure to obtain a South Carolina pollution control permit for its controversial Savannah Harbor Deepening Project (SHEP).
SELC filed the action on behalf of the Savannah Riverkeeper, the Coastal Conservation League and the South Carolina Wildlife Federation, and states the Corps failed to obtain a permit that would ensure the implementation of pollution controls during its 38 mile deepening project as required by South Carolina law.
Dredging the Savannah River to the planned 48 feet will impact the economic and natural viability of the basin. The dredging will stir up toxic cadmium and other pollutants and these pollutants will be discharged into the Savannah. Exposure to large concentrations of cadmium is known to have toxic effects on humans, and the Corps plans to dump much of its dredging waste in Jasper County, South Carolina.
In addition, the harbor dredging project will deplete the Savannah's dissolved oxygen levels so much, that it will require mechanical life support. This means of support, called Speece Cones, are virtually untested in the Savannah River and the Corps own experts have concluded that the use of these respirators could have a disastrous effect on aquatic life.
Low oxygen levels in the Savannah will have a ripple effect up and down the entire basin, as the dredging will complicate industrial discharges and lake communities upstream. In addition, saltwater intrusion from the Atlantic will result in seasonal dead zones in the river as well as jeopardize community ground water supplies.
Although this dredging project is estimated to cost taxpayers a whopping $650 million, the Corps has noted the post-Panamax expansion will have virtually no effect on the the Savannah Harbor in in terms of economic growth and cargo volume.
The Savannah River believes in economic sustainability for the entire river basin. However, we believe that any project that impacts the natural viability of Savannah River must be properly assessed and mitigated. Failure to do so will not only harm the natural resources but the economies of all the communities from the lakes down whose economic viability is reliant on the quality and quantity of the Savannah.