Potential big WIIN
for the Mississippi
WIIN, which includes the Water
Resources Development Act of 2016
or WRDA 2016, increases oppor-
tunities for the dredging industry.
“The most important WRDA 2016
project for our Big River Coalition
membership is deepening the Mis-
sissippi River ship channel from Ba-
ton Rouge to the Gulf to 50 feet,”
Sean Duffy said. “WRDA 2016 re-
duces the non-federal, cost-share of
channel deepening up to a thresh-
old of 50 feet, from 50-percent fed-
eral and 50-percent non-federal to
75-percent federal and 25-percent
non-federal. It expedites feasibility
studies for three navigation-related
projects and makes incremental im-
provements in Army Corps processes
and data transparency, in harbor-
maintenance spending targets, and
in non-federal options for maintain-
ing navigation channels.”
“If Congress provides the autho-
rized funding, and the Corps com-
pletes these projects, WRDA 2016
will increase supply-chain transpor-
tation and port options and effi cien-
cies,” Duffy predicted. Late last year,
the Big River Coalition was glad to
see the Army Corps' draft report
and its Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement on deepening the
Mississippi River ship channel, or
MRSC, to 50 feet, Duffy said. The
Coalition has been engaged with the
Corps and its non-federal sponsor-
-the Louisiana Department of Trans-
portation and Development--on this
effort and believes that bringing the
MRSC into the neopanamax future is
critical. The Coalition will continue
to assist the Corps and LDOTD to
ensure the channel is deepened.Equipment Availability
Depends on Government
Decisions
Nationally, “there weren't always
enough hopper dredges in recent
years to respond to needs,” Duffy
said. “But by the end of this year,
two new large hoppers will be avail-
able. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock
will have their new ELLIS ISLAND,
the largest hopper dredge in the na-
tion, ready to begin work towards the
second quarter of 2017. And Weeks
Marine is constructing a large hopper
dredge that should be on line by the
end of the year.”
The navigation and dredging in-
dustries depend on federal appropria-
tions, and if increased funding were
annually consistent, industry would
respond by building new equipment,
Duffy said. Navigation would benefi t
from having better-maintained chan-
nels. Meanwhile, the average, per-
cubic-yard cost of using cutterhead
dredges declined in the last few years
because of a perceived abundance of
cutterheads, he said.No Time to Lose in Louisiana
Following Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita in 2005, “Louisiana has made
signifi cant progress in rebuilding bar-
rier islands, creating hundreds of acres
of marsh and strengthening levees,”
CPRA said in January. “We need to
do more quickly to protect these in-
vestments, billions of dollars in infra-
structure, and millions of people who
live along our coast.”
Sean Duffy was even clearer, “With
President Trump encouraging invest-
ment in infrastructure, the naviga-
tion industry must make it clear that
channel maintenance is as important
as modernizing highways, bridges and
railroads. The economic benefi ts of
Mississippi River projects are strong
and will continue to grow as the world
population expands.”DREDGING OUTLOOK
Credit: Magnolia DredgeDredge Grand Chenier working in Dredge Grand Chenier working in
Lake Borgne near Alligator PointLake Borgne near Alligator Point