ArticleCS - Article View

SAC-2017-01482

Published Jan. 4, 2019
Expiration date: 1/18/2019

Pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403) and Sections 401 and 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344), Department of the Army (DA) permit number SAC-2017-01482 authorizes the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) to conduct approximately 2.34 million cubic yards of new work dredging and 328,000 cubic yards of annual maintenance dredging associated with the berth and access channel at the Hugh K. Leatherman, Sr. Terminal (HLT).  The authorized depth of the berth is -45 feet Mean Lower Low Water + 2 feet of advanced maintenance + 2 feet of extreme low tidal variation + 2 feet of allowable overdepth.  The total depth of the berth is 2 feet deeper than the access channel (and the adjacent Federal navigation channel) so container ships can rise and fall with the tide while they are being loaded and unloaded at HLT.

The existing DA permit authorizes the SCPA to hydraulically pump dredged material from HLT to an existing dredged material containment area (DMCA), or to place the dredged material in scows before hydraulically pumping it into one of the DMCAs on Clouter Island, Daniel Island, or Drum Island.  This 10-year dredging permit is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2028.  In accordance with Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA), the SCPA has requested to modify this permit so the dredged material can also be transported to the Charleston Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site for the purpose of ocean disposal.

The proposed modification would not alter the footprint of the previously authorized berth or access channel at HLT (approximately 77.8 acres).  The SCPA would use the same dredging methods, a hydraulic cutterhead or a mechanical dredge, to dredge the berth and access channel and to place the dredged material into scows.  The only difference is that the SCPA would transport the dredged material from HLT to the Charleston ODMDS (rather than hydraulically pumping the dredged material into an existing DMCA).