The Stage Harbor Entrance Dredging project is officially underway, according to the Town of Chatham (MA) latest news release.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) hopper dredge Currituck arrived in Chatham late Sunday afternoon, January 19th, and began maintenance dredging on Monday, January 20th.
The Currituck will be dredging daily for approximately three weeks utilizing a combination of day and 24 hr. shifts.
The severity of shoaling and high current velocities in the channel are posing challenges to dredge operations compared to past maintenance dredging efforts by the Currituck.
Existing water depths and channel widths are severely restricted in the entrance channel, mariners should exercise caution when navigating around the operating dredge.
As reported, the dredging project is expected to last approximately three weeks.