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- 07-16-2008Lake Drummond Reservation reopens; Dismal Swamp Canal to reduce lock openings to 2 per day
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News
Craney Island Eastward Expansion
October 27, 2008
By Jerry Rogers
Norfolk District Public Affairs
NORFOLK, Va. — Aided by the crew of the Norfolk District derrick boat Elizabeth, the Environmental Services firm of S&ME Inc., and subcontractor Boart Longyear, recently collected sediment core samples for the new Craney Island Eastward Expansion project in Portsmouth, Va.
The Virginia Port Authority and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are partners in the construction of the Craney Island Eastward Expansion project.
The sediment samples, collected in the Elizabeth River, used the sonic drilling method. Boart Longyear is an industry leader in this technique that essentially uses ultrasonic vibration combined with more traditional rotary drilling. Testing will determine the sediment’s ecological compatibility with marine organisms in the ocean disposal area.
"We drilled at the site of the proposed East Dike that will form a new dredged material management cell, which will be the location of the new Virginia Port Authority marine terminal," said David M. Sayre, S&ME environmental services manager. "The sediment under the Elizabeth River is so soft that it will have to be removed to build the dike to contain dredge spoils. The water is about 15 feet deep in this area and the existing mud will be removed to an elevation of about 125 feet to support the dike. The upper 10 feet of sediment will be managed at the Corps’ Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area, while ocean disposal is planned for the remaining material."
The Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area or CIDMMA, was authorized by the River and Harbor Act of 1946 and constructed from 1956-1958. The federal facility is operated by the Norfolk District, Army Corps of Engineers and is used by private interests, local municipalities, and federal and Commonwealth of Virginia government agencies for the disposal of dredged material from Norfolk Harbor and its adjacent waterways, including the Elizabeth and Nansemond Rivers.
Originally designed for a 20-year life span, The Corps began studying ways to extend the life of CIDMMA in the 1970s. Advancements in engineering and management have allowed the Corps to extend the life of CIDMMA; however, in the early 1990s the Corps recognized that other options needed to be considered for long-term disposal of dredge material in Norfolk Harbor.
Meanwhile, the Virginia Port Authority recognized that a fourth state-owned marine terminal would be required to meet long-term cargo handling needs in Hampton Roads.
In 1997, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure authorized the Corps to prepare a Feasibility Study to determine if Craney Island could be expanded into the east, and to consider rapid filling of the new dredge material site to provide an area for a new marine terminal.
The Feasibility Study determined that the existing CIDMMA would reach capacity in 2025 and the VPA would run out of cargo handling capacity in 2011. The objectives of the study were then focused on providing a solution that could address both of these capacity shortfalls.
In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Corps evaluated all reasonable alternatives to avoid and reduce impacts to the environment. The Corps evaluated 51 alternatives for dredged material placement and 25 port alternatives for container handling capacity. An eastward expansion emerged as the best solution to increase the capacity of CIDMMA for dredged material, and provide an area to construct the fourth marine terminal. The final Feasibility Study recommended an eastward expansion, with a future project planned to strengthen the western dikes. The study, along with the Environmental Impact Statement was approved by the Army Corps’ Chief of Engineers in October 2006.
Construction of the eastward expansion is scheduled to begin in 2009, and the first phase of the marine terminal is planned for operation by 2017. VPA officials said the project would generate $6 billion in national economic development benefits over its 50-year life span.