1st Session 1 No. 189 SCOTTS CREEK, VA. LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY OF WAR TRANSMITTING A REPORT FROM THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS ON PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION AND SURVEY OF SCOTTS CREEK, PORTSMOUTH, VA. FEBRUARY 27, 1928.-Referred to the Committee on Rivers and Harbors and ordered to be printed, with illustration WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, February 24, 1928. The SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. DEAR MR. SPEAKER: I am transmitting herewith a report, dated February 14, 1928, from the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, preliminary examination and survey of Scotts Creek, Portsmouth, Va., authorized by the river and harbor act approved March 3, 1925, together with accompanying papers and map. Sincerely yours, DWIGHT F. DAVIS, WAR DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, Washington, January 14, 1928. Subject: Preliminary examination and survey of Scotts Creek, Va. To: The Secretary of War. 1. I submit for transmission to Congress my report, with accomaving papers and map, on preliminary examination and survey of Notts Creek, Portsmouth, Va., authorized by the river and harbor approved March 3, 1925. 2. Scotts Creek enters the westerly side of Elizabeth River about ile northwest of the junction of the Southern and Eastern Branches. 's not under improvement by the United States. Local interests tre in the past dredged a channel 12 feet deep and 75 feet wide in lower half mile of the creek, and in connection with water-front 90028-H. Doc. 189, 70-1- -1 developments at the junction of the east and more easterly of the south arms of the creek, have dredged an area 500 or 600 feet long, 100 feet wide and 11 feet deep. They now request a channel 100 feet wide and 12 feet deep connecting this basin with the Elizabeth River. The mean range of tide is 2.7 feet. 3. The locality is developing as a point for handling sea-food products. The industries already established there claim that an average of about 40,000 tons of sea-food products is moved annually over the creek. Local interests believe that the proposed channel improvement in connection with the developments planned by the municipality and by private interests will increase the local sea-food industry to 140,000 tons. 4. The district engineer states that sea-food industries are now located in various parts of Norfolk Harbor, and he believes that better economy would result and a general improvement of the water-front development of Norfolk be obtained by concentration of the sea-food industries in one locality. Large expenditures are being made for additional terminals on Scotts Creek and the city of Portsmouth has plans for doing certain dredging in the east arm and extending the docking space 500 or 600 feet. 5. The estimated costs of providing channels 12 feet deep and 75 and 100 feet wide are given by the district engineer as $31,500 and $40,000, respectively. The excavation of a turning basin at the inner end of the channel is included in these estimates. On the basis of a cost of $40,000 for a 12-foot channel, the annual carrying charges on an average traffic of 40,000 tons would be less than 6 cents per ton. This annual charge is considered moderate by the district engineer, who states that the expected traffic would materially reduce this figure. He considers the project justified and recommends an expenditure of $40,000, with $500 annually for maintenance. The division engineer concurs, except that he believes the maintenance cost may amount to $1,000. 6. The report of the district engineer has been referred, as required by law, to the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, and attention is invited to its report herewith. At the request of the board, the district engineer submitted an estimate of $31,000 as the cost of a channel 12 feet deep and 100 feet wide extending from Elizabeth River to a point 100 feet above the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad bridge. The board believes that local interests should provide for channels from the upper end of this improvement to and along the wharves. 7. After due consideration of the above-mentioned reports, concur in the views of the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors While a channel 75 feet wide might be adequate for the business or the creek, the work of maintenance would be facilitated by dredging originally to a greater width. The local benefits are considerabl and local interests propose to extend the dredged area along th water front and to make extensive water-front developments. Th terminus of the Federal improvement at a point 100 feet above th railroad bridge would leave for accomplishment by the locality th provision of channels to and along the wharves. This appears t be an equitable division of the work. I therefore report that th improvement of Scotts Creek, Portsmouth, Va., is deemed advisabl to the extent of providing a channel 12 feet deep and 100 feet wid from the mouth to a point 100 feet above the Atlantic Coast Lin Railroad bridge, at an estimated cost of $31,000, with $500 annually for maintenance, subject to the provisions that local interests give assurances satisfactory to the Secretary of War and the Chief of Engineers that they will dredge and maintain to an equal depth a channel 100 feet wide from the end of the Government channel to the Ballard Wharf, and will extend the 12-foot channel in an easterly direction so as to provide docking space at least 500 feet long, and that they will provide, without expense to the United States, suitable areas for the deposit of dredged material. EDGAR JADWIN, Major General, Chief of Engineers. REPORT OF THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS SYLLABUS The Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors recommends a channel 12 feet deep and 100 feet wide from the mouth to a point 100 feet above the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad bridge, at an estimated cost of $31,000, with $500 annually for maintenance, subject to certain conditions of local cooperation. [Third indorsement] BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS, Washington, D. C., January 18, 1928. To the CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, UNITED STATES ARMY: 1. The following is in review of the reports on preliminary examination and survey of Scotts Creek, Portsmouth, Va., authorized by the river and harbor act approved March 3, 1925. 2. Scotts Creek is a small estuary connecting with Elizabeth River about 1 mile northwest of the junction of the southern and eastern branches. It is not under improvement by the United States. A channel 12 feet deep and 75 feet wide was dredged in 1913 by local interests in the lower half mile of the creek, and an area 500 or 600 feet long, 100 feet wide and 11 feet deep has been dredged by them recently at the junction of the east with the more easterly of the south arms of the creek. Interested parties now request a channel 100 feet wide and 12 feet deep from Elizabeth River to the basin at the junction of the two arms of the creek. The mean range of tide is 2.7 feet. 3. The locality is being developed for the receipt, packing, and distribution of sea-food products. A number of such industries have already been established. It is reported that an average of about 40,000 tons of sea-food products are moved annually over the creek. The proposed channel improvement, in connection with developments already planned by the municipality and by private interests, is expected to result in an increase in the sea-food industry to 140,000 tons. 4. The district engineer states that Scotts Creek is in effect a section of Norfolk Harbor. The sea-food industries are now located in various parts of the harbor, and better results would be obtained from their concentration in one locality. Moreover, the water front now used by such industries would be available for other classes of commerce. Considerable expenditures are being made toward the provision of additional terminals on Scotts Creek and it is expected |