Five environmental organizations filed two different suits Thursday to challenge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project to deepen the Delaware River to 45 feet. The organizations filed their own independent legal challenge in New Jersey Federal District Court and filed to intervene in the legal action brought against the deepening project by the State of Delaware.

The organizations, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, the National Wildlife Federation, New Jersey Environmental Federation, Clean Water Action, and Delaware Nature Society, claimed the Army Corps’ plan to move forward with the deepening as early as December without an up-to-date environmental impact statement and without permits and approvals from both New Jersey, Delaware and other federal agencies is a violation of seven federal laws as well as Delaware State law.