Memphis District partnering strong

The Northwest Tennessee Regional Port Authority and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Memphis District recently signed a Project Cooperation Agreement (PCA).

The new PCA removes both the Northwest Tennessee Harbor Project federal limit on financial obligations for dredging and the 50-year limitation.

In 2005, the two agencies signed the Northwest Tennessee Harbor Project Cooperation Agreement which authorized construction of the Northwest Harbor.

Harbor construction consisted of the Memphis District clearing vegetation, dredging a navigation channel 9,000 feet long, bottom width of 130 feet and a 300-foot-wide turning basin; and the Northwest Tennessee Regional Port Authority establishing the adjacent port facility and industrial area.

However, the original PCA established a total Federal Government financial obligation limit of $4.5m or 2.25 percent, whichever is greater.

Once the limit is reached, the port authority is responsible for dredging and maintaining the project’s general navigation features.

In 2018, the port authority requested an amendment to the PCA and the Operations and Maintenance Manual that removes dredging cost from the Federal Government’s financial limitation.

The Memphis District joined the request by submitting supporting documentation and taking the additional step of requesting removal of the 50-year limitation.