Update: Frequently Asked Questions (02/07/2012)
The Corps of Engineers has updated its Frequently Asked Questions on the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project. View FAQs

Stakeholders Evaluation Group Presentation (12/06/2011)
William (Bill) Bailey, Chief of the Planning Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District, gave an update on the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project to the Stakeholders Evaluation Group, Dec. 6, 2011 at the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum in Pooler, Ga. Topics discussed in the presentation are included in documents from federal and state natural resource agencies posted below. View Presentation

• As part of the Draft Tier II Environmental Impact Statement, the Corps of Engineers conducted an assessment of expected impacts to threatened or endangered species. View Biological Assessment.
• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concurred with most of the conclusions of the Corps' Biological Assessment, stating that the Corps' plan to deepen the Savannah harbor "may affect, but is not likely to adversely affect" all species that may be present within the area, provided that specific conditions are met. View FWS Letter
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service issued its final Biological Opinion, concluding the Corps' plan to deepen the Savannah harbor is "not likely to jeopardize species" listed or proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act, provided that specific conditions are met. View Biological Opinion

• The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA DNR) reviewed the Corps' determination that the project would be consistent with the Georgia Coastal Management Program. The GA DNR Coastal Resources Division stated "In general, the proposal to deepen the Savannah Harbor by dredging to any of its alternative depths, as described above, is consistent with the enforceable policies of the Georgia Coastal Management Program."  View Letter
• The Georgia Department of Natural Resources issued a Water Quality Certification pursuant to Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, provided that specific conditions are met. View Certification
• The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) issued a Water Quality Certification pursuant to Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, provided that specific conditions are met. View Certification
• The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) removed its objections to the Corps’ determination of the project’s consistency with the South Carolina Coastal Management Program. View Letter
• The SC DHEC issued a Final Agency Decision November 15, 2011. View Document

About Our Report
The Savannah District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has prepared a draft General Re-evaluation Report (GRR) and Tier II Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to incrementally evaluate deepening the Savannah Harbor Federal Navigation Project to a maximum authorized depth of -48 feet as authorized by the Water Resources Development Act of 1999 (Public Law 106-53, Section 102(b)(9). (The current authorized depth is -42 feet.) The studies evaluated the engineering, environmental, and economic acceptability of various alternatives for the present and future harbor conditions over a 50-year analysis period.

Recommended improvements include: channel deepening from the sea through the Harbor Entrance Channel to the Garden City Terminal; channel widening to create meeting areas at Long Island and Oglethorpe Ranges; widening and deepening of the Kings Island Turning Basin; and channel widening at three bends.