1.0 BACKGROUND 



1.1 The New England Shipping Industry 



Over the past 300 years, the inhabitants of New England have relied on the 

 resources of the North Atlantic for their livelihood, fostering the development of a rich 

 maritime heritage. Coastal harbors, large and small, have supported various forms of 

 commerce, transportation, and military activity since colonial times. These harbors 

 provided sailing ships refuge from the ocean winds and waves, while allowing rapid access 

 to open water. They also served as centers for trade, due to the constant exchange of raw 

 materials and goods with fleets of transport ships. As a result, prosperous towns emerged 

 from many of the small coastal communities clustered around the harbors of New England. 

 Several of these towns developed into the major port cities of the Northeast (e.g.. New 

 Haven, CT; Boston, MA; Portland, ME). 



The growth of the shipping industry was responsible for the expansion and 

 urbanization of many New England harbor areas. Originally established to facilitate the 

 transport of namral resources harvested from the New World to European markets, these 

 ports have been forced to evolve with the changing global marketplace. Cargoes of 

 lumber, livestock, and coal have now been replaced with electronics, automobiles, and 

 petroleum. The wooden Clipper sailing ships were retired in the 1800s, as larger steam- 

 powered vessels became more efficient at crossing the world's oceans. 



Today, steel-hulled ships over 900 feet in length, powered by inunense, diesel-fired 

 engines and piloted with the use of satellites and computers, are utilized for movement of 

 cargo and passengers across the oceans. In comparison to the earlier transport ships of the 

 1700s, these larger and faster vessels readily carry a much larger volume of cargo 

 (tonnage), and are capable of traversing the oceans in a fraction of the time. Large ships 

 tend to be restricted, however, to ports that provide the navigational, anchorage, and 

 dockage areas necessary to facilitate their deeper drafts and maneuverability requirements. 

 As the average size of ocean-going cargo ships increased over the years, smaller and 

 shallower ports were excluded from the resulting commerce and trade, causing economic 

 decline. Ports that continued to be prosperous were successful in building larger docks and 

 wharves, maintaining deeper channels, and removing hazards to navigation, to ensure safe 

 conditions for large commercial and military vessels. 



1.2 The DAMOS Program 



The maintenance of safe, navigable waterways in areas of United States interest has 

 been the primary responsibility of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (US ACE) for the 

 past 200 years. The maintenance or improvement of a port or harbor often requires some 

 modification to the natural environment. Namral sedimentation processes such as soil and 



The Portland Disposal Site Capping Demonstration Project, 1995-1997 



