WL | Delft Hydraulics studies the water quality of the expanded Panama Canal

WL | Delft Hydraulics studies the water quality of the expanded Panama Canal

[18 April, 2007]

On 30 March Autoridad del Canal de Panamá (ACP) has awarded WL | Delft Hydraulics a contract for the study of the water quality of the expanded Panama Canal. The Panama Canal, that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean, will be widened and deepened and new, much bigger shipping locks will be constructed in addition to the existing locks. After expansion the canal will be capable of transiting the largest cargo vessels of the Post-Panamax size. The operation of the existing and future shipping locks causes a loss of water from the canal. This is caused by the fact that the canal is situated about 27 m above sea level. Also lock operation is the reason for salt water from the oceans to intrude in the canal system.
In this project water quality parameters will be measured in close cooperation with staff of the environmental department of ACP. The measurements will focus in particular on flow patterns and salinity. Simultaneously, numerical three-dimensional flow and water quality models of the canal system will be constructed. These models will be used to predict the water quality of the expanded canal system, taking into account the prevailing water circulation patterns, water losses caused by lock operation and other water spills. The project extends until October 2008.

Contact: info@wldelft.nl

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Nótese que esta información no ha sido analizada públicamente por la ACP, y tampoco la ha incluido en el Estudio de Impacto Ambiental correspondiente sobre la Ampliación.

This information has not been included in Environmental Assessment Study (EIA) in current evaluation by Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (ANAM) of Panama.

Why ACP has this work and findings as classified material y why they don´t include this information in the EIA of Panama Canal Expansion.

This is the great question!

Burica Press

See more:

Only one lock (Berendecht Locks) is something similar to set of locks proposed for the Panama Canal Expansion, but only in size, but the locks proposed are more complex and they have three chambers in each set. This situation is not easy and very expensive for the small Panama economy.