Waterway Capacity Study (WCS) of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway between Mobile Bay and Wolf Bay Taylor Engineering, Inc. Christopher Bender, Ph.D., P.E. John Adams, P.E . Terry Hull, P.E.
Introduction : Location
Scope of the WCS • Determine the effects of increased boating • commercial marine traffic and navigation • safety • crowding • aesthetics • socio-economic factors • environmental considerations • Assess and evaluate existing and future FLC usage
Methodology: Overview • Literature Review • Data collection: – study area’s physical and environmental conditions – existing channel policies and design – existing waterway use – growth trends and development plans • Analysis of vessel effects • Evaluate maximum waterway capacity • Recommend maximum capacity of the FLC • Provide management alternatives • Evaluate the potential effect of management options
Literature Review • Review of relevant literature and interviews with numerous individuals (USACE, USCG, commercial shipping, FL Sea Grant, university professors) revealed no accepted methodology to develop the waterway capacity in a setting and with management goals similar to the FLC. • Literature review reveals that capacity depends on site-specific management goals and depends on the user group.
Existing Conditions; Navigation • Factors That Cause Navigation Problems and Affect Boating Experience from Local Resident Questionnaires (84 responses) When traveling on the FLC: Factors that lead to navigation Factors that adversely affect and safety problems your boating experience Speeding 14% 18% Boat wakes 28% 25% Uneducated Boaters 26% 19% Traffic 9% 8% Jet Skis 11% 5% Erosion 0% 9% Commercial Vessels 3% 0% Noise 7% 0% Other 7% 8% None 1% 2%
Existing Conditions; Navigation • WCS Traffic Study (July 1 st and 2 nd , 2006) • Selected holiday weekend to determine existing near-maximum FLC traffic conditions • Two observers (Highway 59, Foley Beach Exp) from 0700 (7AM) to 1900 (7PM) • Recorded the time, vessel travel direction into the field of view, registration, make of vessel, type of vessel, speed, number of people aboard, and travel direction out of the field of view
Existing Conditions; Navigation • Commercial Traffic Data • USACE Institute of Water Resources (IWR) data for the Mobile Bay to Pensacola segment of the GIWW • Data indicates coal represents the primary commodity shipped • Data (with commercial operator interviews) indicates a commercial vessel passes through the FLC approximately every 2 hours with approximately 2.5 barges per tug
Existing Conditions; Navigation • Commercial Operator Interviews • Contacted 12 commercial transport companies to gather information on commercial shipping practices in the FLC Ingram Barge Line • Interview executives Kirby Corporation Cenac Towing Company • Interview commercial pilots Florida Marine Transporters Martin Gas Marine – Avg > 12 yrs experience in FLC American Commercial Barge Line Higman Barge Lines Blessey Marine Services Parker Towing Company Cooper T Smith TennTom Towing (Midstream) Warrier & Gulf Navigation Company
Existing Conditions; Navigation • Existing Conditions that Cause Navigation Problems in the FLC based on 19 Commercial Operator Interviews. When traveling on the FLC: Factors that lead to navigation and safety problems Responses Percentage Speeding 12 12% Boat Wakes 10 10% Uneducated Boaters 16 16% Traffic 16 16% Jet Skis 11 11% Underway Commercial Vessels 2 2% Moored Commercial Vessels 9 9% Currents 8 8% Lighting 4 4% Other 10 10%
Existing Conditions; Navigation • Marina Operations Data Collection • Contact 27 marinas to discuss their operations – AL Gulf Coast (10) – Destin, FL (6) – Palm Beach County, FL (11) • 18 Public Marinas and 9 Private Marinas
Existing Conditions; Navigation • Marina Operations Data Collection Questionnaire Response Data for the 27 Public and Private Marinas PUBLIC & PRIVATE MARINAS Public Private Both Number of marinas that responded 18 9 27 Average number of wet slips 55 84 65 Percentage with any dry slips 56% 22% 44% Percentage with any transient slips 67% 56% 63% Average vessel length (ft) 39 50 43 Percentage with a boat ramp 17% 11% 15% Average occupied wet slips in the week 12% 11% 12% Average occupied wet slips on the weekend 21% 25% 22% Average occupied wet slips on a holiday 35% 31% 33% Average occupied dry slips in the week 15% 15% 15% Average occupied dry slips on the weekend 29% 48% 32% Average occupied dry slips on a holiday 40% 40% 40% Percentage day trips to overnight trips 85% 81% 84% Percentage with a fuel dock 94% 44% 78%
Hypothetical Maximum Capacity • The WCS develops hypothetical maximum capacity to provide a basis for the recommended capacity • Hypothetical maximum capacity in the FLC and requires vessels to operate at average speeds for commercial vessels (5.5 MPH) • Vessel spacing equals twice the vessel length • Hypothetical maximum capacity equals 1,296 vessels on the FLC at one time
Reductions in Carrying Capacity • Data collection program indicated seven areas that warrant a reduction factor: – Commercial vessel presence – Uneducated boaters – Non-local operators – Waterway access locations – Excessive vessel speed – Traffic levels – Personal watercraft (jet-skis) • Each reduction factor developed with consideration of other reduction factors
Reductions in Carrying Capacity • The WCS relies on the data collection phase of the study, review of overland transportation practices (such as the Highway Capacity Manual), capacity studies for large waterway bodies, and engineering judgment. • The reduction factors considered the entire body of information available and objectively assigned a reduction in waterway capacity due to that navigation concern – Consideration of a specific reduction factor magnitude must include other reduction factors for that criterion. – The resulting waterway capacity that develops must provide a reasonable traffic condition based on results of the data collection program
Waterway Capacity with 16 proposed marinas • Waterway capacity with construction of 16 proposed marinas equals 191 vessels at one time Table 9.1 Calculation of Recommended Capacity — Construction of 16 Proposed Marinas Navigation Concern Reduction Factor Commercial Vessels 0.125 Uneducated Boaters 0.150 Non-local Operators 0.100 Waterway Access Locations 0.178 Excessive Vessel Speed 0.125 Traffic Levels 0.125 Personal Watercraft 0.050 Sum of Factors 0.853 Waterway Capacity Considerations Vessels at one time on the FLC Hypothetical Maximum Capacity from Chapter 6 1,296 Recommended Capacity for Commercial 191 Navigation Concerns
Waterway Capacity with 16 proposed marinas • Evaluate the number of boat storage units available to future development that allows traffic levels below the recommended waterway capacity. • Must evaluate the proposed number of dry and wet storage units for the 16 proposed marinas • Apply a 35% usage factor for both wet and dry storage units on a summer holiday weekend (based on marina operations data) • Apply 12% peak time factor for vessels on the waterway at peak conditions during the day based on July 2006 conditions • Apply 2010 as year of initial marina operations and 2015 as first year at full operations (linear increase in boat storage units from 2010 to 2015)
Waterway Capacity with 16 proposed marinas Vessels on the FLC on a Summer Holiday Source of vessels Weekend in Selected Years (per day) Vessel Traffic 2010 2015 2020 2025 Conditions in the Projected conditions from existing use data FLC and 393 477 585 727 (Table 4.6) Available Boat Vessels from recently permitted marinas 116 116 116 116 (Table 4.9) Storage Units Total vessels per day 509 593 701 843 Total vessels from projected conditions Vessels on the FLC on a Summer Holiday from existing use and recently permitted Weekend in Selected Years (peak time) development Number of vessels at peak time based on 12% 61 71 84 101 peak time factor Recommended waterway capacity to maintain 191 191 191 191 existing navigation conditions (Chapter 9) Excess vessel capacity on the FLC prior to 130 120 107 90 construction of the 16 proposed marinas Number of additional boat storage units suggested in the FLC [wet and dry storage] 3,093 2,853 2,545 2,139 1) 35% usage rate for summer holiday 2) 12% peak time factor
Management Options • Suggested management options include: – Recreation Restrictions – Speed Restrictions – Dedicated Enforcement Presence – Dedicated Mooring Locations – Personal Watercraft Restrictions – Marina Entry/Exit Constraints – Vessel Operator Education Programs – Monitoring Program for Vessel Traffic Levels and Operations • WCS contains analysis of potential effect of each management option on waterway capacity
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