The Water Institute of the Gulf is embarking on a new study with the Port of Lake Charles to identify sediment sources in the Calcasieu Ship Channel and find the best way to use channel-dredged material to protect critical infrastructure at the port.
The $360,000 contract approved by the port tasks the institute with better understanding how sediment moves through the Calcasieu Ship Channel and evaluating alternative locations to find long-term and realistic dredge disposal sites. Primarily due to the increase in LNG, it's predicted ship traffic will double by 2023.
The Calcasieu Ship Channel must be dredged yearly to ensure it meets the 400-foot-wide and 40-foot-deep federally mandated requirements. It's estimated the Port of Lake Charles will need to have 97 million cubic yards of disposal capacity for dredged material during the next 20 years. An additional 7 million-8 million cubic yards of dredged placement space will be needed to accommodate new project construction. However, a 2010 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study only identified 5 million cubic yards of available disposal capacity, which means new sites must be found.
"It's our hope this study will give us much needed information that helps us to provide proper funding to maintain the Lake Charles ship channel. A large number of jobs and businesses are tied to the continued viability of the channel," said Louisiana Chemical Association President Greg Bowser.
Doing the groundwork to better define where sediment is moving in the channel and identify long-term dredge disposal sites will help the port maintain and improve a viable and economically vital shipping channel. A science-based plan will also help the port secure the funding necessary to allow continuing construction of new coastal land through the beneficial use of dredged material, which in turn will provide better protection to industry and communities in the future.
For more information, visit www. thewaterinstitute.org or call (225) 448-2813.
