Environmentalists caution against PhilaPort proposal to dredge Delaware River — again

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More than a decade after a controversial plan to deepen the Delaware River’s shipping channel began, the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority is proposing to dredge an additional 5 feet.

The state agency known as PhilaPort, which manages facilities along the Delaware River used for international trade, said deepening the river would mean greater access for larger vessels and make the port more competitive.

The dredging proposal is just one part of a 15-year plan to expand the port, which PhilaPort said would create 9,000 new jobs and generate $170 million in tax revenue by 2040.

However, environmental advocates say they’re concerned the plan could worsen water quality and impact aquatic life in the region.

A $480 million project to deepen the Delaware River from 40 to 45 feet was completed in 2021. Decades in the making, the initiative faced legal challenges from environmental groups and neighboring states, New Jersey and Delaware.

Opponents of dredging the Delaware River say it could harm the endangered Atlantic sturgeon, impact oyster habitats, and pollute the watershed. They also say impacts could be exacerbated by sea level rise, resulting in saltier water from the Atlantic Ocean moving further up the river, threatening to reach drinking water intakes used by Philadelphia and New Jersey.

“There really is no good case to be made for a 50-foot depth,” said Maya Van Rossum of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, which has been fighting against dredging activities for the past two decades. “We need politicians to walk away from this, because it can have devastating impacts on our New Jersey, Philadelphia and Delaware communities, including devastating impacts for our drinking water supplies.”

However, port officials say deepening the Delaware River would make Philadelphia competitive with neighbors such as the Port of Virginia in Norfolk, which is nearing the completion of widening and deepening its channel to 55 feet — the deepest on the East Coast.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has determined the project in Virginia will have a benefit-to-cost ratio of about 5 to 1, returning more than $5 in national economic benefits for each dollar invested.

Deepening the channel creates more opportunities for massive ships to access the port, and reduces time spent in berths, said Elspeth McMahon, associate vice president for maritime initiatives at Old Dominion University.

Shipping vessels have become larger since the 2016 expansion of the Panama Canal, which now allows for much larger ships to transit the waterway.

“So overall, to deepen and widen a channel, is so important, especially in this region, in any maritime region like Philadelphia,” McMahon said. “More of these larger vessels are being built. So, with more of these on order, it’ll increase more traffic coming to the East Coast. [Deepening and widening] will make the flow of traffic more consistent, increase berth and container yard efficiency, and improve safety for the port.”

According to PhilaPort’s plan, the process could take years of analysis and stakeholder engagement before any project is initiated over the next 15 years.