In May, the Port of Stockton was awarded a $7.2 million portion of the San Joaquin County's California Transportation Commission grant funding obtained from a combination of Proposition 1B, federal funding and various state and federal transportation accounts.

The funds will be spent on annual maintenance of the port's minimum 35-foot mean low tide depth in the Stockton Deep Water Channel as well as performing overdraft dredging to deepen parts to 37 feet.

There is an on-going battle to control silt build up that can reduce the draft allowance.

"The dredging," said Port of Stockton Deputy Port Director Mark Tollini, "will allow the port to continue to provide accommodations for large ocean-going cargo vessels transiting up the channel from the San Francisco Bay."

The deeper the draft, the better (financially) for vessels and shippers. There is a current federally funded environmental study underway through the U.S Army Corps of Engineers regarding deepening the draft to 40 feet. The ability to offer 40-foot draft to carriers and shippers would tremendously increase the value of the port.