The West Calcasieu Port board of commissioners voted recently to award the contract for the expansion dredging of the port’s west barge basin to.Apollo Environmental Strategies, Inc. of Beaumont, Texas.
Finally, construction on a $3.1 million expansion at the West Calcasieu Port has begun.
Lynn Hohensee, WCP director noted that the West Calcasieu Port will work closely with local, state and federal officials to make sure that all dredging operations are in line with regulatory permits for the project and that an aggressive time schedule is followed for the barge basin expansion dredging.
“The West Cal Port and its tenants offer a variety of specialized services within the marine operations community, and high on that list is commercial shallow-water barge fleeting operations along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, ” he said. “ Demand for barge fleeting facilities in Southwest Louisiana has grown over the last several years, and all regional economic indicators point to a continuing growth in that demand.”
The dredged spoils will be used for environmental beneficial use as well as economic beneficial use.
“ Approximately 15 percent of the spoils will be piped to an existing open water area on the west end of the port’s property where it will be distributed to create 12 acres of new marshland, ” Hohensee said. “The remainder of the spoils will be piped to the port’s existing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-approved 40-acre spoils reception area.”
“ Our long-term plan for that area is to use dredge spoils to elevate the 40-acre site to 11 feet above sea level, at which time, it will become a prime business development site ,” he explained.
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Dredging Today Staff, February 19, 2012; Image: westcalport