Menemsha Creek Dredging Contract Awarded

A portion of the Menemsha Creek Federal navigation project (FNP) in Aquinnah and Chilmark, Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., will be dredged under the terms of a $2.1 contract awarded recently by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District.

Work will be accomplished by J-Way Southern Inc., of Avon, Ohio. Dredging is scheduled to start on or about Oct.1, 2015 and take about 12 weeks to complete. The contract was awarded on June 30, 2015.

Menemsha Creek Federal navigation project is located on the northwestern end of Martha’s Vineyard, about 12 miles southwest of Falmouth, Mass.

“The project consists of maintenance dredging the Federal navigation project at Menemsha Creek,” said Project Manager Craig Martin of the Corps’ New England District, Programs/Project Management Division in Concord, Mass. “Approximately 60,000 cubic yards of sandy sediment will be dredged from the 10-foot entrance channel, 8-foot navigation channel, and 6-foot anchorage by hydraulic cutterhead dredge.”

Work will not include dredging the 10-foot anchorage where there is extensive submerged aquatic vegetation which cannot be disturbed or damaged under Massachusetts state permit requirements. The sandy dredge material will be pumped via pipeline to Lobsterville Beach in Aquinnah about 1.5 miles by water route to the west of the Federal navigation project.

The FNP channel is 80 feet wide, about 1.25 miles in length and extends from Vineyard Sound into Menemsha Pond. The 6-foot anchorage requiring maintenance dredging is approximately 1.5 acres in size.

A major emphasis of this project will be the grading of the dredged material to meet requirements of the placement site and to maximize retention of the sand on the beach. Beach placement dimensions will include a maximum elevation of 8.0 feet above Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) and a 1 foot vertical to 12 foot horizontal slope extending from the toe of the dune to the intertidal zone to match the existing beach profile.

Dredging and disposal will be performed between Oct. 1 and Jan. 31 to minimize impact to natural resources in the area. The project will be managed by the Corps under the supervision of a Corps’ Quality Assurance Representative to assure compliance with contract requirements.

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