PHOTO of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal dredging operations

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District recently began dredging operations along the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, specifically near the Chesapeake City Boat Ramp.

Maintenance dredging is essential to ensure safe and efficient water transportation throughout the canal which connects the Delaware River with Chesapeake Bay in the states of Delaware and Maryland.

The C&D Canal is a 14-mile (23 km)-long, 450-foot (140 m)-wide and 40-foot (12 m)-deep ship canal that is operated by the Army Corps’ Philadelphia District.

Built in the 1820s and upgraded a couple of times since then, the canal needs routine maintenance to clear sediment that settles and creates shoals.