JACKSONVILLE HARBOR

NAVIGATION STUDY2014 APA Florida Conference

Eric Bush, USACESeptember 6, 2014

Deepening Areas: ► Deepen from the Entrance Channel to approximately River Mile 13

from the existing 40-foot depth to 47 feet

Widening Areas:► Area 1: Mile Point: increase to the north by 200 feet

Training Wall Reach: increase to the south 100 feet transitioning to 250 feet

► Area 2: St. Johns Bluff Reach/White Shells Cut: up to 300 feet

Turning Basin Areas:► Blount Island: ~ 2700' long by 1500' wide

RECOMMENDED PLAN 2

► Brills Cut: ~2500' long by 1500' wide

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RECOMMENDED PLAN continued

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Estimated Project Cost: ~$684 million► Federal Share ~ $312.7 million

► Non-federal Share (JAXPORT) ~$371.5 million

► Benefit-to-Cost Ratio (BCR): 2.70

► Mitigation $2.9M

► Monitoring: Construction + 1 yr: $7.5M

► Monitoring/Corrective Action Plan:

Year 2-10: $23.3M (non-federal)

Estimated Construction Duration:

4 - 6 years

18 million cubic yards of material

expected to be dredged

Dredged material placed in an ocean site

(unless suitable for beach or other areas)

Principles and Guidelines:

“Contribute to national economic development

consistent with protecting the Nation’s environment”

“Each alternative plan is to be formulated in

consideration of: completeness, effectiveness,

efficiency, and acceptability. Appropriate mitigation

of adverse effects is to be an integral part of each alternative plan.”

THE FEDERAL OBJECTIVE

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Transforming Civil Works:

SMART Planning► 3 x 3 x 3 Planning Studies

SMART Planning = ► S: Specific

M: Measurable

A: Attainable

R: Risk Informed

T: Timely

President Obama’s

“We Can’t Wait” Initiative► Accelerated completion of

study approximately 14 months

STUDY DRIVERS

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2inventory

& forecast

conditions

1identify

problems

&opportunities

formulate

alternatives3evaluate

alternatives4

6 select

plan

compare

alternatives5

WIDENING AND SHIP SIMULATION

Ship simulation: Defined Widening

footprint

Incremental Analysis: Widening

increments evaluated independently

and with deepening

Turning basins: Included with

widening measures due to their interdependencies

Image: Plot from the Blount Island Turning Area Ship Simulations

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DEEP DRAFT NAVIGATION ECONOMICS“HARBORSYM”

Corps “Enterprise” model for

coastal navigation projects

Inputs include:

► Port layout

► Vessel calls

► Transit rules/restrictions

Model calculates costs of delays and changes in vessel

transportation costs

Savings in transportation costs = NED benefits

NED Plan “reasonably maximizes” net benefits

http://www.corpsnets.us/harborsym/

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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

Depth

$Million Average Annual Equivalent

BCRCosts* Benefits Net Benefits

44 feet $23.3 $66.7 $43.4 2.9

45 feet (NED) $25.5 $84.2 $58.7 3.3

46 feet $31.8 $88.0 $56.2 2.8

47 feet (LPP) $33.7 $89.7 $56.0 2.7

*Costs include Interest During Construction (IDC) and O&M

(FY14 Discount Rate 3.5% and October 2013 Price Level)

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ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES/CONCERNS Changes to Salinity

(main stem + tributaries)

Impacts on:► Freshwater wetlands

► SAV

► Fish

► Shrimp

► Groundwater

Monitoring

Mitigation

Blasting Effects

Erosion/Sedimentation

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WHERE I CAUGHT THE BIG FISH

PROJECT AND SEA-LEVEL CHANGE

Used current guidance (EC 1165-2-212)

Results of analysis for the 50-year

period, 2018-2068:

Low: 0.39 feet

Intermediate: 0.87 feet

High: 2.4 feet

Conclusion for navigation:

Based on these sea-level rise

projections and elevations of

current and planned port facilities,

no impacts on navigation and

minor impacts on port facilities

Conclusion for salinity impacts:

Majority of salinity changes will

occur due to sea-level change;

only minor impacts attributable

to the project

2.00

SLC

3.00

AVERAGE SALINITY (PPT) AT BUCKMAN BRIDGE

2.90

2.05WITH PROJECTEXISTING

SLC WITH PROJECT

1.00

SLC:

Sea-Level ChangeENVIRONMENTAL

STUDY AREA

~13 miles

FULLER WARREN

& ACOSTABRIDGES

BUCKMANBRIDGE

SHANDS BRIDGE

PROJECT AREA

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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS & MITIGATIONMINOR INCREASES IN SALINITY:

Wetlands:395 acres affected by minor increase in salinity stress

Fish Distribution:<5% change (minor impact to

species distribution)

Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV): 180 acres affected by minor increase in salinity stress

Buckman Bridge

PROJECT AREA

Shands Bridge

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY AREA

~13 miles

MITIGATION 638 acres of Conservation Lands Monitoring (construction + 1 year)

CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN Monitoring, Modeling, Assessment (post-construction)

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PUBLIC/AGENCY INVOLVEMENTStudy Initiation/Scoping Scoping letters & Notice of Intent (NOI)

to prepare a Draft EIS 2007

Public Meetings 6 Public Meetings or Workshops Bi-Monthly Teleconferences

throughout study (continuing)

Agency Coordination Interagency Planning Meeting

(preliminary alternatives) February 2008 Cooperating Agency Letters: 2011 Meetings on Ecological Modeling:

March & October 2012 Monthly Teleconferences CZMA (FDEP, State agencies) Aug 2013 Endangered Species Act (ESA) coordination

with USFWS (November 2013) and NMFS (February 2014)

Magnuson-Stevens Act (EFH) coordination with NMFS January 2014

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FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT/EIS DOCUMENTSFinal Feasibility Report/EIS:

http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/About/DivisionsOffices/Planning/

EnvironmentalBranch/EnvironmentalDocuments.aspx#Duval►Ecological Modeling (App D)

►Mitigation & Corrective Action Plan (App E)

Chief’s Report: http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Portals/44/docs/Navigation/Jax_Harbor_Signed_Chiefs_report.pdf

Authorization (Sect. 7002[1]8., WRRDA 2014)

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Jacksonville Harbor

Navigation Study

Thank You!

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