The V.I. Port Authority and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hosted a joint public meeting Tuesday to discuss a navigation improvement study for Christiansted Harbor/Schooner Bay on St. Croix. About 30 people attended the gathering at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport Cruise Lounge.
In his opening remarks, Project Manager Chris McNee said, “Just to kind of take the elephant out of the room, the Corps is not here to speak about dredging the Schooner Channel.” McNee said they were there to listen to the Port Authority’s problems concerning a federal navigation improvement study of the Christiansted Harbor.
According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the interest in navigation within the Christiansted Harbor began as early as the 1950s, when a channel east of Round Reef was deepened to 25 feet. In 1962, additional evaluations helped to shape the harbor currently known today west of Round Reef that provides a variety of services to Christiansted.
The U.S. Army Corps estimates that the current study process will take about three years and will be divided into four phases: Phase 1: “Scoping,” Phase 2: “Alternative Formulation and Analysis,” Phase 3: “Feasibility – Level Analysis,” and Phase 4: the “Chief’s Report.”
“We are at the very beginning of this. We are about 75 to 80 days in,” said Army Corps of Engineering Planning Technical Lead Katie Bailey.
Under the National Environmental Policy Act or “NEPA,” the study must assess the environmental effects of the proposed actions prior to making decisions. Some of the evaluations will cover aesthetics, air quality, essential fish habitats, recreation, noise, and more.
The Christiansted Harbor currently serves a variety of vessels ranging from inter-island ferries to cargo vessels. The study will determine the need for navigation improvements in the harbor to accommodate a variety of vessels.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the benefits will include more efficient use for existing vessels, reduction in transit time, more efficient use of waterway transportation, and new or more calls by larger vessels.
During the question and answer portion of the meeting, Hans Larsen, also affectionately known as “Panchi,” a local fisherman and chef of a popular early morning restaurant in the Schooner Bay area, was one of the people in the crowd ready with a question.
Larsen said that he was born in 1947 and requested to go back to a map that was shown during one of the presentations. He said that the current figures did not “mention how wide you are going to dredge or how deep you’re going to dredge.” He also pointed out a reef and how a big chunk was cut off during one of the attempts at dredging in the past. Larsen also offered to take the team out so they could see what he was referring to and get a better understanding of the area. They agreed to speak with him.
To see the full meeting, you can view it on YouTube or email the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at USVI_ChristianstedHarbor@usace.army.mil.
