The Army Corps’ dredge Murden arrived in Martin County August 1st to dredge a problematic shoal creating a safety concern within the Crossroads reach of the Intracoastal Waterway (IWW).
The Crossroads reach is where three federal channels come together: the IWW, the Okeechobee Waterway and the St. Lucie Inlet.
Due to the confluence of these three waterways, this area has the highest shoaling rate within the IWW.
The dredge Murden will over the next month remove approximately 40,000 cubic yards of sand within the IWW that is currently causing dangerous conditions.
Work consists of maintenance dredging to the authorized project depth of 10-feet, plus 2-feet of allowable overdepth for a total of roughly 40,000 cubic yards of beach quality sand, reported the Corps.
USACE coordinated with Martin County on the effort and determined placement of the material will be within the existing St. Lucie Impoundment Basin, which is located within the jetty area on the north side of the St. Lucie Inlet.
The material can then be used for local Martin County beach efforts.