Damage to the Nanticoke is often invisible until a major problem occurs. Excessive boat and barge wakes undermine the river banks, causing an eventual collapse of the bank along with the trees on the bank.  Barge collisions with the shoreline cause damage to the river channel edge beneath the water line, this eventually erodes away and can result in bank collapse. Tugs making wide turns on the river swing their sterns into the shoreline.  The result is an undercutting of the bank and its eventual collapse. Below are photos showing examples of the visible damage - but what about the damage that cannot be seen?  When a vessel carrying the equivalent of 150 tractor/trailers slams into the soft, mud river bottom there will be damage.  When the propellers of tugs with 3500 horsepower engines get too close to the bank, they can blow holes in the bottom of the river.  Eventually these holes are filled when the adjacent river bank collapses.   Click on a photo to enlarge it.