Posted on August 11, 2022
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District, has awarded a $3.17 million contract to White Lake Dock and Dredge, Inc., a Small Business out of North Shores, Michigan, for maintenance dredging and southern jetty rehabilitation for the Fishing Creek Federal navigation channel.
The project, in coordination with the Town of Chesapeake Beach, consists of dredging approximately 10,000 cubic yards of material from the federal channel, as well as an additional allowance of up to 15,000 cubic yards in an access channel near the south jetty to accommodate the contractor’s equipment.
All dredged material will be removed via hydraulic cutterhead dredge and transported via pipeline to an existing nearby upland placement site.
“Maintaining the safe operation of our federal navigation channels is more critical than ever and directly contributes to the vitality of both our region and the nation,” said Baltimore District Commander Col. Estee Pinchasin. “We’re proud to partner with the Town of Chesapeake Beach on this effort and look forward to beginning dredging in the near future.”
USACE last dredged the Fishing Creek federal channel in 2013. The Town of Chesapeake Beach completed partial maintenance dredging in 2020.
Additionally, the southern jetty at Fishing Creek will be rehabilitated to a height of 6 feet mean lower low water (MLLW) using a 2.8-ton capstone. Jetty rehabilitation will be segmented into sections with a total length of approximately 1,000 feet. This maintenance effort will restore jetty elevations to 2.7 feet higher than the original construction (NAVD88) and increase the jetty crest width to 16 feet.
Rehabilitation of the south jetty will reduce overtopping and ensure sediment does not pass through the structure.
Crews are expected to mobilize this fall, and the work is anticipated to take approximately 180 days to complete.
This project is part of the Baltimore District’s Navigation program, which includes operation and maintenance of more than 290 miles of federal navigable channels within the Susquehanna River watershed. This work includes dredging, employing cutting-edge technology to conduct underwater surveys, and applying a fleet of debris removal vessels to clear floating hazards out of the federal channels in the Baltimore Harbor and Potomac and Anacostia rivers.
