Aircraft carriers will no longer have to wait until high tide to depart Norfolk Naval Station, Va., once the Navy completes the planned dredging of a five-mile stretch of the Norfolk Harbor Channel on the Elizabeth River. The keels of heavy ships that try to navigate the channel during low tides drag on the bottom. Mud and debris can foul engine cooling and firefighting systems. The Navy will dredge the area in cooperation with the Army Corps of Engineers and other state and federal agencies, in compliance with the Environmental Protection Act.
