By LAWRENCE R. HAJNA
Courier-Post staff
CAMDEN - Area governors began charting a course for the future of the Delaware River Wednesday but avoided one of the most divisive issues the river now faces - dredging.
Gov. Christie Whitman, Delaware Gov. Thomas R. Carper and representatives of the governors of Pennsylvania and New York held a summit at the New Jersey State Aquarium to discuss a plan to balance economic growth and ecological protection of the river.
But the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' proposed $311 million deepening of the river's 106-mile main shipping channel didn't come up until a reporter questioned Whitman about her stand on the project afterward.
"We do have a real economic need to get the dredging done," Whitman said as she was being ushered quickly from the Aquarium. "It's a matter of jobs and economic growth. It's good for the region."
She added that dredge spoils have beneficial uses, including as fill for riverfront development projects.
Supporters argue the shipping channel needs to be deepened to protect port jobs by accommodating larger ships.
Environmentalists say the project will harm fish and wildlife by unleashing industrial toxins locked up in sediments for decades. They contend dredging will leave behind massive quantities of contaminated muck along the river in Gloucester County.
"We're not getting beautiful nature preserves out of this," said Maya K. van Rossum, of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, an environmental group.
Van Rossum says she has unsuccessfully sought a public hearing on the project by the governor's office and the Delaware River Basin Commission, sponsor of Wednesday's "Flowing Toward the Future Summit."
Van Rossum argues that deepening the channel from 40 to 45 feet will not be enough to keep the Philadelphia-Camden port competitive with ports that plan to dredge 50-foot channels.
Wednesday's summit followed months of meetings among environmentalists, business leaders and government officials seeking better planning of riverfront development, water conservation and recreation opportunities now that the river is much cleaner.
The resulting report recommends establishing a watershed advisory council to advise the basin commission. But it's not clear how much authority the commission will have. That may become more clear during a Nov. 15-17 conference in Philadelphia.
Van Rossum argues the basin commission has already missed an opportunity to play a key role in the river's future by avoiding a stance on dredging.
"Dredging is something that's happening today," van Rossum said. "If we're going to look toward the future, we need to look at what decisions we make today."
