STONE HARBOR – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District has issued an advisory regarding ongoing dredging along the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway.
According to a release, the Army Corps’ contractor, Barnegat Bay Dredging Company, is conducting dredging in the federal channel of the waterway between markers 386 to 397 (west of Avalon and Stone Harbor).
The Dredge Fullerton is dredging and pumping sediment to Gull Island. The smaller Dredge Montgomery is dredging and pumping sediment to Sturgeon Island. Mariners should be aware of pipeline and associated equipment and proceed with caution in the area. Work is estimated to continue through late October.
About the Project
The Army Corps’ Philadelphia District maintains the 117-mile long New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway. Sections of the waterway are periodically dredged to enable maritime navigation. When the dredged material is clean, the Army Corps looks for opportunities to use the material beneficially.
In April 2019, the Army Corps’ Philadelphia District partnered with the USACE, Engineering Research and Development Lab, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife and The Wetlands Institute to launch the Seven Mile Island Innovation Lab.
The initiative is designed to advance and improve dredging and marsh restoration techniques in coastal New Jersey through innovative research, collaboration, knowledge sharing and practical application.
Gull Island and Sturgeon Island are low-lying marsh islands being restored to replace lost marsh habitat for wading birds and enhance marsh resilience for coastal communities. Gull Island is managed by the State of New Jersey, as part of the Cape May Wetlands Wildlife Management Area, and Sturgeon Island is owned and managed by The Wetlands Institute.
