🔍 Key Concepts

• Corps of Engineers navigation charts vs. NOAA charts – what each one emphasizes • How a dredged or maintained channel is usually shown on a river chart • Difference between depth soundings and a symbol/line marking the project channel

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself: On a river maintained by the Corps, how would mariners quickly see where the officially maintained channel runs, without having to analyze every depth number? • Consider whether the channel would always be exactly in the middle of the river, or if it might curve toward one bank or the other. • Think about how a ‘project channel’ could be shown so that it stands out clearly from other depth information on the map.

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify what a ‘project channel’ is on Corps navigation maps and how it is symbolized. • Check whether soundings (depth numbers) alone are used to define the channel, or if there is a specific line or marking. • Confirm if the channel ever shifts away from the center of the river due to bends, training dikes, or natural features.