The Port of New York and New Jersey The Port of New York and New Jersey Protecting Our 225 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10003 Waterways www.portnynj.com Creating Jobs, Safeguarding Our Environment For more information, call 1-888-PORT-NYNJ (in the U.S. and Canada) Printed on Elemental Chlorine-Free paper with 50% recycled & 15% post-consumer waste. Creating Greater Opportunity for the The Port of New York and New Jersey Entire Port Community This region is home to some of the most densely populated markets in North America. Here, the demand for international products is enormous – and it’s growing every day. To help you receive the international goods you want at competitive prices, the Port of New York and New Jersey is committed to importing and exporting cargo as cost-effectively as possible. To do this, creating world-class ocean access is essential. Every day, thousands of tons of goods come through the Port of New York and New Jersey. From coconuts to coffee to cars, all kinds of merchandise come through our facilities on their way to storefronts and tabletops throughout the region. And, through our terminals, many other goods are exported to the rest of the world. The Port of New York and New Jersey ENSURING FUTURE SUCCESS To make international goods more affordable for consumers and businesses, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is dedicating $1.7 billion toward improving productivity and accommodating oceanborne commerce. At the heart of this “redevelopment” is a dredging initiative that will widen and deepen channels for the new generation of deep-draft containerships, while simultaneously cleaning our estuary. Dredging removes polluted sediments, and complementary initiatives will focus on tracking down and reducing the input of contaminants into our waterways. The New York/New Jersey harbor region is laced by a Though the Port of New York and New Jersey is the wealth of natural waterways, but the channels are shallow premier port on the North Atlantic coast, a great amount and narrow and must be expanded and routinely of redevelopment work is required to meet the growing maintained to allow for navigation. Dredging, the process demand for international cargo. Dredging our harbor’s of removing rock, silt, and sediment from the floor of the channels makes them suitable for today’s modern fleet harbor, provides safer navigation channels for vessels of containerships – large, efficient vessels that offer arriving at the port. a more environmentally friendly shipping solution. Establishing a Leading Presence The Port of New York and New Jersey To stay at the forefront of the international shipping industry, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, in concert with the US Army Corps of Engineers, States of New York and New Jersey, and City of New York, has developed the Harbor Deepening Project as a long-term solution to address the navigational needs of the new deep-draft containerships. The channel deepening is at the same time stimulating economic growth and investment in maritime uses throughout the port region. The multi- agency partnership is finding ways to complete dredging projects faster and with less expense. The benefits of the project will be enjoyed for many years to come. It is through this partnership that the largest dredging fleet since World War II is currently at work in the New York Harbor. Combining resources accelerates the timetable for all of the dredging projects and reduces the cost. By employing a larger dredging fleet, the deepening projects will be completed with less environmental impact, and transportation benefits will be gained more expeditiously to the benefit of all stakeholders. The Port of New York and New Jersey PORT DREDGING PROJECTS Three major dredging projects are currently under way: the deepening of the Kill Van Kull and Newark Bay Channel to 45 feet, the deepening of the Arthur Kill waterway to 40/41 feet, and the deepening of the Port Jersey Channel to 41 feet. The Port Jersey Channel and Arthur Kill projects have been initiated, with Project Cooperation Agreements signed and dredging activities in progress. The Kill Van Kull and Newark Bay Channel dredging project is nearing completion, as the majority of the channel has already been deepened to 45 feet. A new construction effort to deepen the harbor’s channel network to 50 feet is under way. The project, known as the New York and New Jersey Harbor Deepening Project, R E extends the current deepening program to account for V NEW I R future growth in the container vessel fleet. Major channels JERSEY Newark Bay Channel leading to container terminals in New York and New Jersey EAST to 45 feet Port Jersey MANHATTAN Channel are to be deepened to 50 feet starting in late 2004. The to 41 feet execution of the Project Cooperation Agreement between the federal government and the Port Authority for the BROOKLYN- PORT PORT AUTHORITY NEWARK AUTO MARINE TERMINAL consolidated project is in place. MARINE TERMINAL GLOBAL MARINE By consolidating the 50-foot effort with ongoing interim BAY TERMINAL ELIZABETH- depth work, the Port Authority and Army Corps of Engineers Arthur Kill PORT AUTHORITY Channel MARINE TERMINAL SOUTH BROOKLYN are taking advantage of the huge dredging fleet already in MARINE TERMINAL to 40/41 feet K R A place, making the overall project more economical, with W K ull N E a n UPPER K i ll V less overall environmental and social impacts. Preparing for NEW Kill Van Kull YOR K larger containerships through dredging also creates a huge HOWLAND HOOK Channel MARINE TERMINAL to 45 feet B AY BROOKLYN economic advantage for the region; by shipping more completed efficiently, $2.9 billion dollars in savings will be generated The STATEN Narrows and passed on in cost savings to residents and businesses. ISLAND And, increased activity at the port will account for l l 240,000 additional jobs by 2040. i K r Arthu Deepening of channels at several critical access points allows larger containerships with more cost-efficient loads to enter the harbor. Revitalizing an Important Resource The Port of New York and New Jersey At the Port of New York and New Jersey, we realize that no economic gain is worth the destruction of our natural environment. To maintain a healthy and productive harbor, we balance every port development and dredging action against its potential to have negative impact upon the environment. Perhaps the largest of these is the dredging process itself, which consolidates the dual goals of economic and environmental benefit. Much of the fine-grained silts and muds that are removed during the dredging process contain industrial contaminants that are presenting problems to native biota. These contaminants are a by-product of the NY-NJ metropolitan area’s historic activities, built up during the Industrial Revolution, before environmental protection was fully understood. Most of the contaminants are bound to sediments. By removing these contaminated sediments, we’re making our harbor cleaner. Dredging creates an opportunity for healthier ecosystems to develop along the channel’s floor. In addition, dredging presents cost-effective opportunities to remediate portions of our harbor. As new depths have been reached, cleaner soils, such as glacier till, are encountered that can be used as a natural cap for contaminated sites. Currently, the Port Authority is pioneering the use of glacier till at the Historic Area Remediation Site (HARS), located in the New York Bight. The Port of New York and New Jersey SMART ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT Setting an unprecedented example, the Port of New York and New Jersey is taking care to ensure that useful dredged material is not discarded, but instead used beneficially throughout the region. Dredged material can be used as cap or grading material to facilitate landfill closure or brownfield remediation. Dredged material can also be used as an engineered fill material for other construction projects. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s $60 million Site Acquisition Program, the first land has already been acquired – a 9.5-acre plot on Staten Island’s North Shore. This property will be preserved and transformed into a public resource. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has dedicated approximately $28 million to New York State and New Jersey to identify and quantify sources of contaminants in our harbor and to predict future pollutant impacts. In addition, we have allocated another $5 million toward environmental impact studies, such as the Cement Feedstock Workshop and Research, which determines whether dredged material is a suitable base for foundation fill. Continuous research is an important component of future planning and contaminant prevention. In utilizing insights from the information The Port Authority works to preserve and create vibrant gathered, we are able to make more informed decisions marine ecosystems throughout the harbor, such as this one as we plan. off the coast of New Jersey. The parking lot at the Jersey Garden Mall in Elizabeth, NJ, is an example of this process. A golf course under construction in Bayonne is another. At the same time, “It is admirable that [the Port Authority is] rock excavated during dredging is used to create valuable donating this land… The North Shore community habitats such as fish reefs and wetlands. Habitats like has long sought to create a vibrant waterfront these are fertile grounds for burgeoning ecosystems. park, and I am thrilled that this area will be preserved for the betterment of Staten Island.” In addition to our dredging programs, we are also purchasing and preserving environmentally valuable — Staten Island Borough President, James P. Molinaro waterfront areas for the public to enjoy. Under The (regarding the Site Acquisition Program) KEEPING OUR HARBOR CLEAN The Port of New York and New Jersey Dredging goes hand-in-hand with other initiatives to keep our waters free of contaminants.