Calcasieu Ship Channel
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The Calcasieu Ship Channel is a waterway that connects the city of Lake Charles, Louisiana, with the Gulf of Mexico. Its existence allows the Port of Lake Charles, which is more than 30 miles from the Gulf, to be the 10th largest seaport in the United States. The primary use of the channel is the importation of materials for processing in Lake Charles' large refinery industry, including petroleum, liquefied natural gas, and the export of refined products, such as gasoline and chemicals.{{Cite web |url=http://www.lakecharlespilots.com/home/shipchannel.html |title=Lake Charles Pilots |access-date=June 21, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008162602/http://www.lakecharlespilots.com/home/shipchannel.html |archive-date=October 8, 2009 |url-status=dead }}
Early history
The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW), from the Sabine River (Louisiana) to the Calcasieu River, was built between 1913 and 1914 with a width of {{convert|40|feet}} and a depth of {{convert|5|feet}}. In 1925 the width was dredged to {{convert|100|feet|meters}} wide and {{convert|9|feet|meters}} deep. Sometime in the 1930's the canal was dredged to {{convert|30|feet}} deep and called the Lake Charles Deep Water Channel. In 1941 the channel was part of the GIWW and maintained at {{convert|12|feet}} deep and a width of {{convert|125|feet}}. Through the GIWW the Sabine and Calcasieu estuaries became co-mingled with saltwater intrusion which resulted in the combined Calcasieu-Sabine Basin.{{Cite web |url=https://www.allianceswla.org/clientuploads/Images/Environmental%20Affairs/CS_Basin_Report_2019_Final_(1).pdf |title=2019 Basin Summary Report for the Calcasieu-Sabine Basin |access-date=July 19, 2024 |archive-url=|archive-date= }}{{Cite web |url=https://lacoast.gov/new/about/basin_data/cs/default.aspx|title=The Calcasieu / Sabine Basin |access-date=July 21, 2024 |archive-url=|archive-date= }}
History
The ship channel runs along the west side of Calcasieu Lake between the lake and "West Cove".{{Cite web |url=https://portlc.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/PORT.Executive-Summary-2021-POLC-Economic-Impact-Study.pdf |title=The economic impact of the Calcasieu Ship Channel |access-date=July 19, 2024 |archive-url= |archive-date= }} It is a combination of natural lakes, streams, and man-made cuts.{{Cite web |url=https://portlc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Port-of-Lake-Charles-Full-Channel-Map.pdf |title=Port-of-Lake-Charles map |access-date=July 19, 2024 |archive-url=|archive-date= }} The Calcasieu Ship Channel comprises two sections, the "Outer Bar" at {{convert|33|miles|nmi}}, {{convert|30|miles|nmi}} pass the seaward state boundary,{{Cite web |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/43/1312 |title=43 U.S. Code § 1312 - Seaward boundaries of States |access-date=July 23, 2024 |archive-url= |archive-date= }} and "The Inner Channel" at {{convert|32|miles|nmi}} measured from the three mile seaward boundary.{{Cite web |url=https://www.congress.gov/83/statute/STATUTE-67/STATUTE-67-Pg29.pdf |date=May 22, 1953|title=Land beneath navigable waterways |access-date=July 23, 2024 |archive-url= |archive-date= }}
Authority of the United States Army Corps of Engineers and Louisiana to regulate traffic in the ship channel, specifically past the three mile border, was affirmed in court concerning ship channel pilots.{{Cite web |url=https://www.congress.gov/83/statute/STATUTE-67/STATUTE-67-Pg29.pdf |date=July 2, 2002|title=Gillis v. State of Louisiana (5th cir 2002) |access-date=July 23, 2024 |archive-url= |archive-date= }} Being a busy United States port there are ship studies on the channel{{Cite web |url=https://portlc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ausenco-Calcasieu-Ship-Channel-Traffic-Study-Final-Report.pdf |date=January 6, 2015|title=Port of Lake Charles Calcasieu Ship Channel Traffic Study Final Report |access-date=July 23, 2024 |archive-url= |archive-date= }}
Over the years, as ships have grown larger, the channel has had increasing difficulty in accommodating the larger ships. In June 2009, the Army Corps of Engineers agreed to dredge the channel and bring it up to modern standards{{Cite web |url=http://www.breakbulk.com/content/?p=750 |title=Index of /Content |access-date=June 21, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323034856/http://breakbulk.com/content/?p=750 |archive-date=March 23, 2016 |url-status=dead }} of {{convert|40|feet|meters}} depth and {{convert|400|feet|meters}} bottom width.
By widening and straightening the Calcasieu River (removing the natural Sinuosity), as well as dredging, the Port of Lake Charles has been able to handle larger ships. Cruise ships aside, the channel cannot accommodate the larger ships. The channel jetties extends into the Gulf of Mexico {{convert|1.2|miles}}.{{Cite web |url=https://portlc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Port-of-Lake-Charles-Full-Channel-Map.pdf |title=Port-of-Lake-Charles |access-date=July 19, 2024 |archive-url=|archive-date= }}
Port of Lake Charles
The "Port of Lake Charles began 2024 as the nations 13th busiest port{{Cite web |url=https://www.americanpress.com/2024/02/26/essential-economic-driver-port-of-lake-charles-nations-13th-busiest-port/|date=February 26, 2024|title=Port-of-Lake-Charles 13th busiest |access-date=July 20, 2024 |archive-url=|archive-date= }} but by May 2024 had reached 10th place.{{Cite web |url=https://www.americanpress.com/2024/05/10/port-of-lc-now-10th-on-list-of-busiest-ports/|date=May 10, 2024|title=Port of LC now 10th on list of busiest ports |access-date=July 20, 2024 |archive-url=|archive-date= }}
References
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{{Coord|29|59|47|N|93|20|2|W|region:US-LA|display=title}}
Category:Transportation in Louisiana
Category:Buildings and structures in Lake Charles, Louisiana