Fishing Creek dredging plan unveiled

The USACE Baltimore District is planning to perform rehabilitation construction to the southern jetty and maintenance dredging for the Fishing Creek Federal navigation channel in Chesapeake Beach, Calvert County, Maryland.

chesapeakebeachmd.gov

The proposed work consists of the rehabilitation of the southern jetty at Fishing Creek to a height of six feet mean lower low water (MLLW) using 1.5 to 3 ton capstone, which will reduce overtopping and ensure sediment does not pass through the structure.

This maintenance effort will restore the jetty elevations 2.7 feet higher than the original construction (NAVD88) and increase the jetty crest width to 16 feet.

Rehabilitation will be segmented into three sections with a total length of approximately 1,000 feet. A 75-foot wide by 10-foot deep MLLW channel parallel to the southern jetty will be dredged prior to access the site and perform the rehabilitation. Dredged material from the access channel will be placed at an existing nearby upland placement site.

The proposed work also consists of dredging the Fishing Creek channel to its authorized depth of seven feet MLLW, plus at least one foot of allowable overdepth, and a width of 100 feet.

USACE plans to hydraulically dredge approximately 22,000 cubic yards of material consisting of combinations of clay, mud, sand, silt, and shell. The dredged material will be placed via pipeline to the same upland site used for the access channel dredged material.

Earthwork berm repairs, to include possible raising of the existing berms, may be needed at the existing placement site.

The proposed jetty rehabilitation and maintenance dredging of Fishing Creek is being reviewed for environmental impacts in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969.