The Town of Wellfleet, MA, recently secured a $2.5 million grant for the final phase of Wellfleet Harbor dredging project.
The project will focus on the removal of 130,000 cubic yards of material from the South Anchorage in Wellfleet Harbor.
Current conditions limit access to the anchorage to only a few hours either side of high tide, impacting up to 315 commercial and recreational vessels. Dredging will restore all-tide access to the area while also improving water quality for shellfish propagation.
In 2020, Wellfleet Harbor was the number three shell fishing port in Massachusetts, supporting more than 90 private growers, more than 260 acres of shellfish farms, and more than $5.5 million in commercial landings.
This project marks the final phase of a comprehensive dredging effort in Wellfleet Harbor, which has included $7.3 million in local and federal funding since 2017.
Last year, AGM Marine Contractors removed over 115,000 cubic yards of material from areas surrounding the Town Pier in Wellfleet Harbor.
Before that, the Army Corps hired Cashman Dredging to dredge the channel 10 feet deep and 125 feet wide. This included dredging 150,000 cubic yards of material from the channel and taking it to the Cape Cod Bay Disposal Site (CCBDS).