Just like any other port on the US East Coast, Savannah is working hard to accommodate the larger vessels after an expanded Panama Canal opens by the end of 2014. But a recent study by the Army Corps of Engineers shows that deepening the harbor from 42 feet to 48 feet will flush enough saltwater into the river to cause a significant spike in chlorides. Deepening the Savannah port’s shipping channel to accommodate supersized cargo ships is too important to let the project falter. The chlorides themselves wouldn’t be dangerous to drink but would make the water more corrosive, meaning higher and possibly toxic levels of lead and copper found in pipes and plumbing could end up in people’s tap water. The best way to fix the problem is to move an intake plant that sucks up river water for processing several miles upstream to where the water would be less salty. The Army Corps estimates the cost would be USD40 million. What’s undecided is who would foot the bill. Currently, the Army Corps is waiting for outside experts to review the agency’s study before deciding whether the deepening project would pose any harm to Savannah’s drinking water. Savannah has the nation’s fourth-busiest cargo port, which handled a record 2.8 million TEU of imports and exports last year.
Monday, December 23, 2024
