Continued dredging issues related to U.S. Army Corps of Engineer (USACE) practices have frustrated the Port of Stockton’s ability to reach its legally mandated 35-foot draft undermining waterborne transport volumes of import and export cargoes, according to Kirk DeJesus, Executive Director, Port of Stockton.
Resolving these challenges will increase cargo volumes and growth, he said.
In an interview with AJOT on April 20th, DeJesus described problems getting the US Army Corps of Engineers San Francisco District to fully dredge the Stockton Ship Channel which stretches along the San Joaquin River to Stockton, an inland river port that is a major import/export link for warehouses and agricultural growers in California’s San Joaquin Valley:
“So, we are authorized at 35 feet of draft for the ship channel to Stockton. We are one of two river ports in the state. So, we get a lot of attention, and we get a lot of support… Congressman Josh Harder (D-CA) is great. He bangs the door as much as we need him to… I am in D.C. four or five times a year. We have a great relationship with the Corps…”…