Anchorage channel investigations, New York-New Jersey Harbor

Shipping is vital to the world's commerce. The newest container ships are larger than ever and have a draft of 48 ft. The United States Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey are deepening the New York-New Jersey Harbor to accommodate this new generation of ships.

The Anchorage Channel acts as the gateway into the New York-New Jersey Harbor. e4sciences has shown that the two water siphons beneath the Anchorage Channel that conduct drinking water from Brooklyn to Staten Island are too shallow and may impede deepening of the channel.

To achieve the deepening safely and to guarantee the integrity of the siphon crossings and the crossings of active oil, gas, and electric lines beneath the channel, the New York District assigned e4sciences to locate each crossing, determine the environment and sediments, and ensure the safety of the deepening design.

e4sciences acquired multibeam bathymetry, side-scan sonar, sub-bottom reflection seismic data, and magnetic field density to locate each crossing to within 5 ft horizontally and 0.5 ft vertically. With standard penetration test (SPT) borings, e4sciences characterized the sediments in the overburden and surrounding the siphon trenches. Divers confirmed the location of the siphons.