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Dredge-muck boondoggle keeps raising questions
Where we stand: Delaware officials should be concerned about the plan that has South Jersey representatives alarmed.
Delaware officials are the latest to say "not so fast" to a proposed $311 million Delaware River dredging project. Add their concerns to the list of worries and, hopefully, more people will see this project as the boondoggle it is.
Sarah Cooksey, administrator for the Delaware Coastal Management program, said her group has asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for wetland and pollution reviews before the channel is dredged.
While the state of Delaware, which officially endorses the dredging project, still might have some concerns, there's no denying that South Jersey residents should be asking questions.
Lowering the 40-foot channel 5 feet certainly raises environmental questions. But what about 10 feet? The new supercargo ships of the future will require 50 feet or more of river depth. Isn't this 5-foot drop just a step toward that goal?
And where will the millions of cubic yards of river muck be dumped? If Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., Rep. Rob Andrews, D-N.J., and Gloucester County leaders have anything to say about it and they do South Jersey will not be turned into a dumping ground.
What about the benefits to the Pennsylvania oil companies? Since they will save about $40 million in lighterage, shouldn't they be kicking in to help pay for the dredging? And, why are we doing this to help the oil companies? Are they planning to relocate the refineries?
And where are the plans and the money to help South Jersey communities who want to develop riverfront property? These same people who want to dig out the river, possibly stirring up toxins and dumping muck on our land, have to have the same level of support both moral and financial for these community improvement projects.
This dredging project comes at a time of rebirth for the river. Two hundred years ago, pollution and toxins in the river killed people. Now, people can't wait to relax beside or on the water.
Do we have questions about this project? You bet. It's good to see the folks down in Delaware also aren't giving up the fight without demanding a few answers, too.
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