Page 28: of Marine News Magazine (November 2013)

The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW) extends 1,200 miles from Norfolk, VA to Key West, FL. That much is common knowledge. What you may not know is that the U.S. Congress authorized the creation of the AIWW in 1919 and the entire waterway was completed in 1940. Consisting of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are man-made canals, the canal is in- cluded on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated a National Civil Engineering Landmark. Nev- ertheless, the waterway?s potential to become a key piece of the nation?s intermodal equation is largely being wasted due to federal indifference, poorly designed policies and shoaling that threatens even basic navigation in critical lo- cations along its length.A key voice of the Waterway is the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association (AIWA) which represents the inter- ests of commercial and recreational users of the waterway. AIWA is the only organization dedicated to ensuring the future of the AIWW and its members notably hail from 39 states and Canada and include both commercial and recre- ational users. At the recent National Waterways Conference held in Savannah, GA, AIWA Executive director Brad Pick- el brought industry stakeholders up to speed on the condi- tion of the AIWW, its future and also gave them a primer on what it could become. Bottom line: it?s not all bad news, but it is de nitely an un nished work in progress. NOVEMBER 2013: SITREP AIWWThe U.S. Army Corps of engineers (USACE) is respon- sible for maintaining the AIWW. That?s about where their involvement ends, however, since there is little enough money for higher pro le projects ? like, for example, the Olmsted Locks & Dams ? never mind  nding cash to dredge a waterway that has, up until now, little to show for itself in terms of ton-miles for cargo. The AIWW serves Virginia, North Carolina, South Car- olina, Georgia and Florida. Over time, the Waterway has proven itself valuable for commercial, military, recreational and dredging industry traf c, generating billions of dollars of commercial, recreational and personal income annually. While the authorized depth for most of the AIWW is 12 feet, there are areas that can be as low as 2.5 feet, creating serious navigation safety issues. The lack of maintenance dredging has therefore hindered growth of commercial traf-  c on the Waterway, and deterred those who might consider it viable alternative to rail or trucks to bypass it altogether. While the USACE is, in theory, responsible for main- taining the AIWW, it also receives its annual funding from the Energy and Water Development Appropriations sub- committee. That federal budget process gives priority is to inland waterways based on the amount of cargo carried annually on barges. The Corps maintains the annual Wa- terborne Commerce Statistics database that is the docu- mentation the Of ce of Management and Budget (OMB) uses to develop the President?s budget. But, OMB does not take into consideration is the many other vessels that use and rely on the AIWW. Commercial  shing vessels, sport  shing vessels, recreational vessels, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) vessels, US Depart- ment of Energy contracted vessels, research vessels and dredging vessels are not documented. The resultant budget is inadequate, causes major shoaling problems and exacer- bates an already bad situation. Commercial AIWW users pay a fuel tax to the Inland INLAND INFRASTRUCTUREShallow Federal Policies Produce Even Shallow Federal Policies Produce Even Shallower AIWW Drafts Shallower AIWW Drafts The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway awaits the chance to rescue the crowded east- ern seaboard with a readymade alternative to the parking lot known simply as I-95. By Joseph Keefe Emissions (grams/ton-mile)HCHydrocarbon COCarbon MonoxideNOxNitrogen OxidesPMParticulate MatterInland Towing 0.017370.046210.469070.01164 Eastern Rail0.024190.064340.653120.01624 Western Rail0.024230.064450.654230.01621 Truck0.0200.1360.7320.018 Clean Air Summary of Emissions Grams per Ton-Mile (National Waterways Foundation) November 201328 MNMN November2013 Layout 18-31.indd 28MN November2013 Layout 18-31.indd 2810/28/2013 3:15:00 PM10/28/2013 3:15:00 PM