Laserfiche WebLink
• • <br />163. The Bayport FEIS now states that, when fully loaded, Post-Panamax vessels <br />require channel depths between 45 to 53 feet. <br />164. This new information regarding the required channel depths for fully loaded Post- <br />Panamax vessels explains the necessity for the future widening and deepening of the Houston <br />Ship Channel and its connecting channels to at least 50 feet. <br />165. The Corps has continued to state that deepening of the Houston Ship Channel and <br />its connecting channels would likely be necessary in the future. <br />166. The permit application and its various revisions submitted by PHA continue to <br />request permission to construct the docks at the container berths to accommodate. a draft of 56 <br />feet. <br />167. If the public invests $1.2 billion in Bayport through bonds issued by PHA, it is <br />reasonable to expect that PHA will soon argue that the deeper ship channels are needed to fully <br />accommodate fully loaded post-Panamax vessels in order to be competitive - to protect our $1.2 <br />billion investment. <br />168. A deeper Bayport channel means additional dredging and altered circulation and <br />salinity patterns. <br />169. A deeper Houston Ship Channel to serve Bayport will bring much more salt water <br />from the Gulf of Mexico deep into the Galveston Bay system. <br />170. An increase in salinity is a serious threat to the ecological health and integrity of <br />the entire Galveston Bay system. <br />171. The Galveston Bay system is productive because it is an estuary, an area where <br />salt and fresh water come together. <br />172. Salinity is the enemy of the oyster reefs. <br />22. <br />