Figure 7. Containership terminal at New York Harbor. (Port of New York Authority photo) 



Pass were to be deepened by only 4 feet, the 

 approach channel would have to be extended for a 

 distance of more than 15 miles. 



E. Spoil Disposal 



Problems of spoil disposal were introduced in 

 Chapter 3. Disposition of material excavated from 

 harbors and channels, both in original construction 

 and maintenance, presents an increasingly serious 

 impediment to further widening and deepening. 

 Port area residential and industrial development 

 already has created an acute— and rapidly 

 growing— shortage of suitable shore disposal areas 

 within the range of economic feasibility and 

 aesthetic acceptance. The aesthetic criterion is 

 becoming more and more a matter of public 

 concern. 



Within 8 to 10 years, existing spoil disposal 

 areas at many major ports will have been filled. 

 Channel maintenance or further development 

 thereafter' will depend on finding new acceptable 

 disposal areas— a formidable challenge. Construc- 

 tion of new disposal areas through the building of 

 retention dikes may offer relief. But dike construc- 

 tion is itself expensive and, in some cases, founda- 



tion conditions may make their construction 

 infeasible or costs prohibitive. 



The alternative to controlled land area spoiling 

 is disposal in deep water. Yet, this option also 

 might encounter difficulties. The cost of moving a 

 million cubic yards of spoil just one mile is 

 approximately $50,000— and in maintaining the 

 present channels of a port such as Philadelphia, 

 disposal work involves over eight million cubic 

 yards a year. 



Beyond the increase in financial costs, spoiling 

 in deep water also may entail an ecological price. 

 Deep water disposal increases water turbidity and 

 care must be taken to avoid damaging shellfish or 

 other wildlife. Finally, disposal of material taken 

 from polluted harbors or channels entails a pres- 

 ently undefined but potentially significant prob- 

 lem, both aesthetically and ecologically. 



F. Additional Factors in Port Improvements 



Current and future investigations of harbor and 

 channel improvements must take cognizance of 

 impacts on ecological processes and wildlife re- 

 sources. These considerations add substantially to 

 the complex job of evaluating navigation improve- 



III-70 



