advance maintenance depth, the channel may be widened by 100 to 125 ft (total 

 width of channel equals 600 to 625 ft) in this reach. Overwidth dredging may 

 be considered also as an alternative in other reaches where rock may be 

 present. 



Future Testing 



135. Model B results for Plan 1 provided in this report have been ob- 

 tained by testing a 500-ft-wide channel with a project depth of 46 ft mlw and 

 advance maintenance depth of 3 ft throughout. Once the channel design is 

 finalized, it is recommended that the final design be tested in Model B with 

 the latest available bathymetry in and around the channel so that maintenance 

 dredging requirements can be determined more accurately corresponding to the 

 final channel design. 



136. Model B has been used in this study to estimate average yearly 

 erosion/deposition rates in the entrance and offshore channels under average 

 wave conditions, excluding abnormal storms. These estimates are good for pre- 

 dicting long-term average maintenance dredging requirements. However, the 

 effect of severe storms such as hurricanes and tropical storms on shoaling can 

 be quite dramatic. So it is recommended that shoaling of the planned naviga- 

 tion channel under severe storm conditions be investigated since estimates of 

 shoaling volumes can be used in channel design as well as in advance planning 

 for emergency mobilization of the necessary dredging plant to keep the channel 

 open. This task can be performed using Model B and the storm surge modeling 

 capability of WIFM. 



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