The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Tuesday it will extend the deadline to May 31 for the release of a draft report on the Jacksonville Harbor Channel Deepening Study.
The Jacksonville Harbor General Reevaluation Report II and Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement draft was scheduled to be released to the public May 6, but the Corps said it wanted more time to include additional information.
"By extending the deadline we will be able to include the salinity modeling report and the air emissions inventory in the draft," said Amanda Ellison, Corps public affairs specialist.
The tributary modeling will not be included in the draft when it is released, but it will be available after Corps review in June, Ellison said. The modeling will provide information on the effect of dredging the St. Johns River has on its tributaries.
A public meeting will be scheduled for this summer. Additional details will be provided when the date and time have been established.
The Corps is conducting a study to increase the depth of the existing federal channel along the St. Johns River from its current depth of 40 feet to a maximum depth of 50 feet.
The Corps has recommended a dredging depth of 45 feet after a cost-to-benefit analysis. The Jacksonville Port Authority has requested a depth of 47 feet, with the port paying for the additional two feet of dredging.
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