Mill Creek Dredging Project Update
Pre-Dredge Survey Plan Showing Shoal Areas to be Dredged
Mobilization and Initial Work
Mobilization of equipment was completed Thursday afternoon (4/16). Following setup, the crew began dredging operations and made initial progress that same day.
Dredging continued through Friday and Saturday, with favorable conditions contributing to steady production and contributing to meaningful advancement in the channel.
Breakthrough of Main Shoal
Late Saturday afternoon, crews successfully broke through the main shoal, marking an important milestone in the project.
While this breakthrough improves water flow through the channel, it is expected that some sediment may have backfilled into previously dredged areas. Crews will likely return to the southern portion of the channel to clean up any material that shifted during the breach.
Sand Placement at Cockle Cove
Dredged material from the channel is pumped to the beach at the base of Cockle Cove Road where sand is being beneficially reused for a variety of uses.
Dredging over the past few days has resulted in substantial accumulation of sand at the site, as shown in the images below.
Due to the volume of material already placed and the limited available area for additional sand, operations were paused on Monday (4/20) awaiting its removal.
Coordination with the Chatham Department of Public Works
To maintain efficient operations, coordination with the Department of Public Works (DPW) is a critical part of this project.
DPW crews are expected to begin moving the accumulated sand on Tuesday (4/21) to other locations. This will allow dredging operations to resume and ensure that discharge can continue.
Next Steps
The discharge location will be moved over to the west side from its current location. This will allow the deposited sand here to be used as a ‘feeder’ source for transport to the east onto Harding’s Beach.
Dredging will continue to the north into the Entrance Channel section of the channel over the next few days. Once completed, the dredge will move back to the southern end of the channel and continue dredging alongside the jetty in the Depositional Basin.
Daily Dredge Progress
