Book Description

Description of Action: Maintenance of a channel 12 feet deep at mean low water and not less than 90 feet wide in the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway from Little River to and including Port Royal Sound, with a branch channel to the same dimensions to McClellanville, a total distance of 210 miles. Environmental impacts: Short-term increase in turbidity and sedimentation; smothering of plant and animal communities in disposal areas; temporary frightening of birds and mammals in the area; temporary reduction of phytoplankton and zooplankton; short-term reduction of benthic organism populations in the path of the cutter-head; increase in the local mosquito population; possible adverse effect on fish larvae due to increased turbidity; possible reduction in dissolved oxygen levels as a result of the dredge disturbing organic materials undergoing anaerobic decomposition; minor increase in air pollution during dredging operations; and improvement of navigation with associated benefits to commercial shippers, the fishing industry, and recreational boaters.