Sanibel Slough dredging about to begin

The City of Sanibel has received grant funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Protection Agency to complete dredging within the easternmost portion of the Sanibel Slough.

According to the City, the project will involve the dredging of approximately 1,100 linear feet of the Slough in the east basin between Beach Road and Elinor Way to increase capacity and treatment of stormwater runoff, reduce storm-related flooding, and improve water quality.

The dredging activity will remove approximately 5,000 cubic yards of organic, nutrient-rich muck from the Slough bottom restoring lost stormwater capacity.

Muck removal is set to reduce legacy nutrients in support of the established TMDL while also reducing nutrient-rich stormwater discharge from the Slough into San Carlos Bay. This will result in benefits for seagrasses, oysters, and other marine resources and enhance wildlife habitat within the Sanibel Slough and receiving waters, the City said.

The dredging project will start this week, and last approximately five months.