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4.

The Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors (BERH) concurs in the plan recommended by the reporting officers. The first cost of the recommended improvements, based on February 1992 price levels, is estimated at $38,540,000, of which $26,710,000 would be non-Federal and $11,790,000 would be Federal costs excluding $44,000 for modifications to the navigation aids by the U.S. Coast Guard. Average annual charges reflecting a 50-year period of economic analysis and an 8 1/2-percent interest rate are $3,490,000. Average annual benefits are $5,430,000, and the benefit-cost ratio is 1.6.

5. I concur in the findings, conclusions, and recommendation of the Board.

6.

The recommendation contained herein reflects the information available at this time and current departmental policies governing formulation of individual projects. It does not reflect program and budgeting priorities inherent in the formulation of a national civil works construction program nor the perspective of higher review levels within the executive branch. Consequently, the recommendation may be modified before it is transmitted to the Congress as a proposal for authorization and implementation funding. However, prior to transmittal to the Congress, the sponsor, the States of Georgia and South Carolina, interested Federal agencies, and other parties will be advised of any modifications and will be afforded an opportunity to comment further.

H. J. HATCH

Lieutenant General, USA
Chief of Engineers

REPORT OF THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS

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The board concurs in the reporting officers' recommendation for deep-draft navigation improvements at Savannah Harbor, Georgia. The board recommends construction of the locally preferred deepening plan of 4 feet (42-foot-deep interior channels) with Federal interest in initial construction being limited to the national economic development (NED) plan (40-foot-deep interior channels). Maintenance of the recommended 42-foot plan would be 100 percent Federal. The board finds that improvements to provide increased channel depths are technically sound, economically justified, and socially and environmentally acceptable and that the recommended cost sharing for initial improvements with 100 percent Federal maintenance is equitable and is in accordance with established policies. Increased channel depths will allow larger, deeper draft vessels to serve the harbor more economically. Features of the improvement plan consist of:

a.

Deepening the entrance channel to -44 feet, over a width of 600 feet from deep water in the ocean to the outer end of the jetties, a distance of about 8.7 miles;

b. Deepening the jetties channel to -42 feet, over a width of 500 feet from the outer end of the jetties to the harbor entrance, a distance of about 2.7 miles.

c. Deepening to -42 feet, over a width of 500 feet, the harbor channels in the north river and front river segments of the Savannah River from the harbor entrance to a point 1500 feet upstream of Kings Island turning basin, a distance of about 19.5 miles; and

d. Deepening the Kings Island turning basin to -42 feet. Material dredged from the entrance channel would be disposed of in deep water, and material from the interior channels would be placed in adjacent established diked disposal areas. Based on February 1992 price levels, the first cost of the recommended improvements is estimated at $38,539,000, of which $11,785,000 is Federal excluding aids to navigation and adjustment for

non-Federal cash contributions. Average annual benefits for navigation transportation savings are estimated at $5,432,900. The benefit-cost ratio is 1.6.

1.

AUTHORITY. This report is in partial response to resolutions adopted by the Committee on Public Works of the United States Senate on 10 July 1972 and by the Committee on Public Works of the United States House of Representatives on 12 October 1972, as expanded by the water development appropriations bill for fiscal year 1984. The resolutions requested the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors to determine whether the existing project for Savannah Harbor, Georgia, should be modified in any way at this time. The resolutions are quoted in the district engineer's report. A final report in full response to the resolutions, as expanded in the appropriation bill, will be submitted at a later date.

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA. Savannah Harbor includes the lower 21.3 miles of the Savannah River. The river, with certain of its tributaries, constitutes the boundary between the States of South Carolina and Georgia. The city of Savannah is located on a bluff overlooking the Savannah River about 18 miles from the river mouth. The Savannah River enters the study area flowing in a general southerly direction, then bends in the vicinity of the city of Savannah to flow in a general easterly direction to the Atlantic Ocean. Mainland areas are separated from the ocean by a line of barrier islands and intervening salt marshes and tidal rivers. The study area is located in Chatham County, Georgia, and Jasper County, South Carolina. Both counties lie in the Coastal Plains physiographic province. The mainland of Chatham County is dominated by the city of Savannah. Lands south of the city, center and west of the coastal marshes, are primarily devoted to urban development. Urban and industrial development extends northwesterly along the Georgia side of the river gradually giving way to natural woodlands and agricultural areas in the western part of the county. The mainland of Jasper County is predominately rural. The areas opposite the city of Savannah are characterized by a system of dikes, canals, and former rice fields constructed in the 18th and 19th centuries. Land on the South Carolina side of the river is mostly agricultural, with some recreational usage.

3. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. The Port of Savannah has and will continue to play an important role in the economic development of the Savannah area and the State of Georgia. Data on vessel docking from 1979 to 1980 reveal the use of 24 different major facilities or facility complexes by vessels serving the harbor. The most recent year for which tonnage data are available is 1987 in which 13,202,000 tons of cargo moved through the harbor. In

1980, 52 manufacturing firms in the Savannah metropolitan statistical area (MSA) directly used Savannah Harbor for import and/or export purposes. These firms employed over 10,000 workers, more than 71 percent of the manufacturing employees in Chatham County. In addition, more than 5,300 workers are employed in direct port services including towing, piloting, loading and unloading, banking, insuring, freight forwarding, and other activities. Overall 1980 port-related employment represented almost 20 percent of the total employment in the Savannah MSA. Total 1980 annual earnings of port-related employees in Chatham County exceeded $245 million, representing 13 percent of total Savannah MSA earnings.

4. ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES. The Savannah area is rich in natural resources associated with a coastal environment. The Savannah River, along with other interconnected coastal streams, sounds, and the adjacent Atlantic Ocean, contains an abundance of marine life. The barrier islands and marshlands support many species of plants and animals as part of a highly productive estuarine system. The Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, consisting of approximately 26,500 acres, is located just upstream of U.S. Highway 17 (river mile 18.5). The refuge is adjacent to the upper 3 miles of Savannah Harbor. About 5,700 acres of the refuge is impounded wetlands managed for waterfowl, and 5,400 acres is impounded marsh. The refuge is located on the Atlantic flyway for migratory waterfowl and is also used by thousands of waterfowl that winter there each year. The refuge is an important nesting area for wood ducks and provides excellent habitat for many species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Spring and fall, the main Savannah River, Back River, Middle River, and numerous interconnecting tidal streams are hosts to several anadromous species of commercial and sport fishes: hickory shad, blueback herring, Atlantic sturgeon, shortnose sturgeon, and striped bass. Juvenile shad utilize the estuary from mid-summer through fall before migrating to the ocean. The striped bass are reported to be riverine and do not leave the river. The city of Savannah and adjacent areas are nationally known for historic resources, and the area supports a thriving tourist trade. There are five properties located immediately adjacent to Savannah Harbor and included in the National Register of Historic Places. These are Fort Jackson, the Savannah Historic District, the CSS GEORGIA, the Fort Screven District, and Fort Pulaski National Monument.

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a. FEDERAL. Since 1907 the Federal Government has made extensive commercial navigation channel improvements at Savannah Harbor. The currently authorized navigation project includes

21.3 miles of river channel to the harbor entrance, 2.3 miles of jetty channel to the end of the jetties, 8.7 miles of bar channel to deep water, six turning basins, and sediment control works. The authorized channel is 38 feet deep at mean low water (mlw) and 500 feet wide, with added widening at bends from the harbor entrance to the upstream end of the Kings Island turning basin, 36 feet deep and 400 feet wide to the upstream end of the Argyle Island turning basin, and 30 feet deep and 200 feet wide to the upstream limit of the project. The authorized sediment control measures consist of a tide gate structure (currently deactivated) across Back River; a sediment basin 40 feet deep, 600 feet wide, and about 2 miles long, with an entrance channel 38 to 40 feet deep and 300 feet wide; and control works and canals for supplying fresh water to the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. Dredged material from harbor maintenance is placed in adjacent diked upland disposal areas and approved offshore disposal areas. Maintenance of the inland portion of Savannah Harbor currently requires the annual dredging and disposal of between 7 and 8 million cubic yards of material. Dredged material from the outer bar is deposited in offshore disposal areas.

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b. NON-FEDERAL. Extensive shore facilities have been constructed by non-Federal interests. Facilities include 51 piers and wharves to serve existing waterborne commerce. With use of dolphins, these piers and wharves have a combined berthing space of 30,154 feet. The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) operates three major terminal complexes in Savannah Harbor. These are the Lighter Aboard Ship (LASH) facility near the harbor mouth, Ocean Terminal, and Garden City Terminal. The LASH facility is no longer used, and LASH vessels calling at the port use the Garden City Terminal. The Ocean Terminal, located near downtown Savannah on either side of Talmadge Bridge, includes 10 general cargo berths with a total berthing space of 6,000 linear feet. Ocean Terminal is used primarily for breakbulk commodities. Garden City Terminal has six general cargo berths totaling 3,500 linear feet of berthing space. This terminal is also the location of GPA's 75,000 ton capacity multiproduct bulk terminal. It is divided into large covered bins which hold commodities ranging from clays and ores to grains. The loading and unloading facilities can handle two different commodities simultaneously. The container facility at Garden City Terminal includes five berths, totaling 5,000 linear feet of berthing space, which are equipped with modern container handling equipment. The container storage yard has 245 acres of paved stack and chassis storage and 270 acres for refrigerated containers. Handling equipment consists of nine single and twin-lift cranes and nine straddle cranes, each having a capacity of 90,000 pounds. Box handling equipment includes 15 top-lift cranes. Noncontainerized cargo is also handled at the container complex.

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