Page 29 - Port of Baltimore March April 2013

I n order to keep channels and berths open — and
allow for an uninterrupted stream of cargo moving
through the Port of Baltimore — dredging is a
necessity. As ships are built ever larger, with deeper
drafts, it becomes even more critical to maintain
crucial depths.
Each year, 5 million cubic yards of material is dredged
to maintain and modify the channels and berths through-
out the entire Port of Baltimore channel system. Of that,
1.5 million cubic yards are dredged from Baltimore Harbor
itself.
The Maryland Port Administration (MPA) has been able
to use the dredged material in ways that actually benefit
the Chesapeake Bay – by restoring lost island habitat. New
ways are also being explored to reuse material, such as
creating aggregate.
Hart-Miller and Poplar islands are both created from
dredged material. The former is now a state park popular
with boaters, and the latter re-established habitat for
dwindling species such as sea turtles. “We’ve been
amazed by the response of these species,” said Frank
Hamons, MPA Deputy Director for Harbor Development.
But Hart-Miller Island is at capacity, unable to accept
any more dredged material, and Poplar Island is all the
way in the southern end of Maryland’s bay. Closer to the
Port, Cox Creek and Masonville Cove each receive about
a half-million cubic yards annually.
INVESTIGATING OTHER SITES
For years, the MPA has looked at Coke Point on
the former Bethlehem Steel site as an ideal
possibility for placement of dredged material.
The land, though passed through a variety
of owners, has always been used for
Each year, 1.5 million cubic yards of material must be dredged
to maintain the Baltimore harbor.
March/April 2013 ■ The Port of Baltimore [27]
COURTESY OF MPA
BY NANCY MENEFEE JACKSON