Dredging chokes growth for Port of Oswego, N.Y.

Dredging chokes growth for Port of Oswego, N.Y.    Sen. Charles E. Schumer said lack of routine maintenance dredging at the Port of Oswego is threatening to reduce cargo volumes.
   The New York senator issued a press release that said in some portions of Oswego Harbor, the water level is three to four feet below the recommended depth.
   Unless the Army Corps of Engineers redirects additional funding to dredge the port, which is located on the south shore of Lake Ontario, “recent revitalization, as well as anticipated growth, could be jeopardized,” the statement said.
   “For years, the Port of Oswego was hemorrhaging money and essentially dormant, but today this slumbering economic giant has finally awoken, and its resurrection has been nothing short of remarkable,” he said. “However, the port’s promising future is now jeopardized.”
   So far in 2007, more than 150 ships have utilized the port. Commodities shipped out of the port include soybeans, windmill components, cement, chemicals, ores and minerals, particularly road salt.
   Some of the major businesses taking advantage of the port are NRG Energy, Sprague Energy, Cargill, LaFarge Cement and Essroc cement.