Masonville
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Construction of the Masonville Dredged Material Containment Facility began in the fall of 2007. Masonville, designed to contain sediment from the Baltimore Harbor, is located on the southern shore of the Patapsco River’s middle branch, one mile downstream of the Hanover Street Bridge and adjacent to an abandoned ironworks.
Construction of the Masonville site should be complete in early 2010. The total footprint will cover 141 acres, including a dike that will enclose 127 acres of open water. The annual placement capacity will be 500,000 cubic yards of sediment, with a total capacity of 16 million cubic yards. Compared to Hart-Miller Island and Poplar Island, this is a small placement site. Masonville will eventually become a marine terminal directly adjacent to the Fairfield Terminal.
Masonville and Cox Creek will together be able to accept about 1 million cubic yards annually, leaving the Port Administration with a yearly shortfall in placement capacity of about 500,000 cubic yards. It is anticipated that innovative reuse of some harbor material will take care of this shortfall.
The permit for Masonville requires the Port Administration to complete significant mitigation activities, both adjacent to the site and within the upstream watershed. The Port Administration worked with the surrounding communities and other stakeholders to select the best mix of mitigation activities and finally settled on important enhancements for the adjacent Masonville Cove, including a new environmental education center for local children. The project received strong community support as it worked its way through the permit process.
Download the Masonville Backgrounder.