PHOTO OF THE DAY: Great Lakes dredge Illinois busy at East Rockaway Inlet

The USACE New York District said that the Great Lakes’ cutter-head dredge Illinois continues ongoing efforts in removing approx. 550,000 cubic yards of sand material, from the East Rockaway Inlet.

According to USACE, this dredging project will not only provide safe navigation for the community, but the sand material being removed will be beneficially reused as beach renourishment along the Far Rockaway Beach, as part of USACE environmental stewardship initiatives.

In FY2026, commonly performed Operations & Maintenance (O&M) work includes expected completion of ongoing maintenance dredging activities, which started in Fall 2025, to address needed removal of shoals from the Federal Navigation Channel.