On Thursday, South Jersey officials, representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Delaware River Port Authority met with U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., and Rep. Rob Andrews, D-N.J. At issue are millions of cubic yards of dredge muck that might be dumped on South Jersey.

Both Torricelli and Andrews stepped up to defend the region. Congress is scheduled to fund $200 million of the $311 million Delaware River dredging project -- a project whose benefits to South Jersey are suspect at best. The Army Corps, which is directing the project, has not made its final recommendation on the muck dump sites, but has focused on two in Logan Township and another in Oldmans Township, Salem County. Land in National Park now used as a dump by the Army Corps also could be used in the project.

The Corps was unable to locate any sites in Pennsylvania, which has South Jersey leaders hopping mad. If the benefits of the dredging project are to be shared, so should the sludge sucked up from the river bottom.

Torricelli and Andrews have clout in this matter, and now are wielding that clout. Congress has approved only a fraction of the money necessary for the dredging project. On Thursday, both congressmen said that if South Jersey gets dumped on, if there is no equitable sharing of the river muck, they will use their influence to block additional funding. That would leave the project $180 million or so short and, in essence, shut it down.

This kind of political muscle has to be welcomed by the local folks who have been waging a gritty war. Gloucester County freeholders, along with municipal leaders, have argued against turning prime real estate into dump sites. Now that the people who control the purse strings are backing them up, their position is stronger.

One alternate idea is to ship some of the muck to abandoned coal mines in Pennsylvania. More expensive? Definitely.

But there might be money available to pay the added transportation costs from the Abandoned Mines Reclamation Fund.

Another possibility is to sell the muck, which officials claim is quite valuable. Great. If we can make a few bucks selling the stuff, let's do it.

Torricelli says he hopes the matter doesn't come to a showdown. Well, perhaps a showdown is what's needed. If Torricelli and Andrews can persuade enough of their colleagues in Congress to hold fast on the funds, perhaps this entire boondoggle of a project will be scuttled.

At the least, proper sharing of the dredge muck and financial relief packages for host communities should be put in place.

South Jersey leaders have put up a terrific fight in defense of their communities. Now they have powerful allies in Congress. The chances of an equitable muck-dumping agreement have been improved.