Dry Tortugas National Park reopens campground after moat dredging

Dry Tortugas National Park reopened the campground last week, as scheduled, after dredging the Fort Jefferson moat and redistributing sand that had built up from several hurricanes.

The next phase of the project involves dredging the finger piers to restore recreational and park access to the Garden Key waterfront.

After the finger piers, the dredging will move to the moat near North Beach.

During this time, the project will continue to use the area adjacent to the campground as a staging area, which may limit overflow camping, Greater Key West Chamber of Commerce said.

The dredging work is part of a larger project to restore water flow in the moat and repair Fort Jefferson’s counterscarp (moat wall) damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Hurricane Ian in 2022.

The final phase of the project will repair breaches in the moat wall and strengthen the existing counterscarp.

According to Greater Key West Chamber of Commerce, the entire project is scheduled for completion by fall 2024.