The Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel (also known as Sacramento River Deep Water Ship Channel or SRDWSC) is a

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...

from the

Port of Sacramento The Port of Sacramento, now known as the Port of West Sacramento, is an inland port in West Sacramento, California, in the Sacramento metropolitan area. It is northeast of San Francisco, and is centered in the California Central Valley, one of t ...

West Sacramento, California West Sacramento (also known as West Sac) is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. The city is separated from Sacramento by the Sacramento River, which also separates Sacramento and Yolo counties. It is a fast-growing community; the p ...

, to the

Sacramento River The Sacramento River ( es, Río Sacramento) is the principal river of Northern California in the United States and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for before reaching the Sacramento–S ...

, which flows into

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. San Francisco Bay drains water from a ...

. It was completed by the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

in 1963. The channel is about deep, wide, and long. The Port of Sacramento is a significant

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

on the

West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S ...

, but receives far less traffic than larger ports. It handles primarily agricultural products and other bulk goods rather than

containers A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping. Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term ...

, which dominate the shipping market. A plan to

dredge Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...

the channel to became stalled in 1990 because the Port of Sacramento was unable to finance its share of the cost. However, there is still interest in the project. The channel has one set of ships locks—the William B. Stone Sacramento Locks—located at the eastern terminus of the channel, where it meets the Sacramento River. These locks were decommissioned in the mid 1980s and de-authorized in 2000. While the locks were reactivated for a fish passage study in 2003 and 2004, they are currently non-operational.

History

The Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel was authorized by the River and Harbor Act of 24 July 1946. It is a modification of, and a supplement to, the Sacramento River Shallow Draft Navigation Project which was adopted by the River and Harbor Act of 3 March 1899, which was started in September 1899 and completed in 1904. While the Deep Water Ship Channel project was authorized in 1946, with construction started in 1949, it was stopped in 1950 and did not start again till 1956, with ship operation not until June 1963. The channel is part of the ''California Green Trade Corridor'' project, as ships move cargo much greener than trucks and trains . Green Trade Corridor Marine Highway (ports of Oakland-Stockton-West Sacramento) can improve goods movement through Northern California.

Flora and fauna

Sea lion Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, short and thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Together with the fur seals, they make up the family Otariidae, eared seals. ...

s have been spotted at the far eastern terminus of the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel, at approximately 38°33'04.3"N 121°34'46.6"W, as have American white pelicans, at approximately 38°33'04.3"N 121°34'46.6"W.

References

* {{California ports Canals in California Sacramento River Geography of the Sacramento Valley Bodies of water of Sacramento County, California Bodies of water of Solano County, California Bodies of water of Yolo County, California West Sacramento, California Transportation buildings and structures in Sacramento County, California Transportation buildings and structures in Solano County, California Transportation buildings and structures in Yolo County, California Economy of Sacramento, California Canals opened in 1963 1963 establishments in California Geography of the San Francisco Bay Area

History

Flora and fauna

See also

References