The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District is proposing to dredge the Guilford Harbor Federal navigation project in Guilford, Conn. Guilford Harbor is located in New Haven County within Long Island Sound.
“The Corps is proposing to dredge about 53,000 cubic yards of sandy and fine-grained material from the federal navigation project to return the project to its authorized dimensions,” said Project Manager Daniel Stensteam , of the Corps’ New England District Programs/Project Management Division in Concord, Mass. “The areas that need dredging include the outer entrance channel, the portion of the channel located in Sluice Creek, and the anchorage basin.”
Dredging will take two to three months to complete and take place sometime between Oct. 1 and Jan. 31 of the year funding becomes available. A mechanical dredge with a clamshell bucket will be used. Since limited upland placement areas are available, it is anticipated that dredged material will be loaded onto a barge and towed to the Central Long Island Sound open water dredge disposal management site, approximately 17 miles away, where dredged material will be placed.
The harbor was last dredged by the town of Guilford, which received a permit in October 2011, for the removal of up to 18,400 cubic yards of material; and material removed during this project was placed at the Central Long Island Sound open water disposal site.
Additionally, the town of Guilford marina was impacted by extensive shoaling due to Hurricane Sandy. As such, the town has requested the Corps aid the town by dredging the town marina in conjunction with the federal dredging project. Since the marina is not part of the federal project, all costs associated with the marina dredging will be provided by the state of Connecticut. Obtaining all necessary federal, state and local permits required to complete the marina dredging will be the responsibility of the town. It will require dredging approximately 7,700 cubic yards of material.
The proposed work is being coordinated with: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; National Marine Fisheries Service; Connecticut Department of Energy and Environment, Office of Long Island Sound Programs; Connecticut Historic Preservation Office; Connecticut Department of Agriculture/Aquaculture Division; the Mashantucket (Western) Pequot Tribal Nation; the Mohegan Tribe Cultural Department; the town of Guilford Harbor Management Commission and the town Shellfish Commission. An Environmental Assessment for this work was prepared and is available for review upon request.
USACE, June 5, 2014; Image: USACE