Mediation set in Savannah River dredging dispute - WCIV-TV | ABC News 4 - Charleston News, Sports, Weather

Mediation set in Savannah River dredging dispute

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- Both sides in a lawsuit over dredging the Savannah River are set to sit down next week and try to resolve their issues.

A federal judge this week ordered that all parties meet with court-appointed mediator former U.S. Rep. John Spratt on Oct. 25 and 26 at the federal courthouse in Charleston.

Environmentalists have sued, saying the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needs a South Carolina pollution permit for the $650 million project because toxic cadmium will be dredged from the river and deposited in a spoils area on the South Carolina side of the river.

The Georgia Ports Authority wants the harbor channel deepened so the ports can handle larger container ships that will routinely be calling when the Panama Canal is expanded in 2014.