Sugar Refinery Sweet on Manatees

Imperial Sugar's Port Wentworth dock located on the Savannah River

Located on the banks of the Savannah River in Georgia, Imperial Sugar’s Port Wentworth sugar refinery has joined forces with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GADNR) to help protect manatees that might swim into the area.

The large, gray aquatic mammals that concentrate in Florida in winter and migrate as far north as Maine during the summer average about 10 feet in length and weigh 800 to 1,200 pounds. They can be found in coastal waterways and shallow, slow-moving rivers.

It is believed that during their trip back south, manatees sometimes use industrial sites along the Savannah River as stopping grounds. This “layover” can be a problem if they don’t pick up on the right cues from Mother Nature and end up staying too long. Once winter approaches and the water temperature drops to about 60 degrees Fahrenheit manatees can suffer stress and die.

To help preserve this endangered species, the Port Wentworth plant is now monitoring for the presence of manatees as the river waters start to cool.  Every day during low tide, Mike Kelly, environmental manager at the plant, makes a 30-minute observation. He logs water and air temperatures and submits the data monthly to GADNR. If he spots a manatee, GADNR gets a call.

“The company understands the importance of working with GADNR to protect manatees,” said Kelly. “With a little monitoring, we can help make sure the manatees get back to safer, warmer waters on time.”

Occasionally, a late-migrating manatee might need to be rescued. In fact, in 2007, a manatee calf was rescued from the dock area of the Port Wentworth sugar refinery. Personnel from GADNR, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and SeaWorld used a sling and winch to remove the 800-pound mammal from the river. The manatee was rehabilitated at SeaWorld in Orlando and later released back into Florida waters.

While no manatees have shown up at the plant’s dock area recently, Imperial will keep a watchful eye until the river warms up again in April.