Posted on June 16, 2021
A project to dredge Absecon Creek has begun, the state Department of Environmental Protection announced Monday.
The work is part of a $6.3 million project to restore navigation to Absecon Creek after storms, most notably Superstorm Sandy in 2014, caused large amounts of sediment to settle in the channel making it unsafe for boaters at all tides, according to the agency.
Use of the channel during the dredging may be limited during the project, although full channel closures are not expected at the moment, according to the DEP.
Contractors have been working since May 11 placing pipeline in and near the channel, which will be both submerged and floating, in preparation for the dredging operation.
The actual dredging is expected to begin in July and continue 12 hours a day, six days a week, Monday to Saturday, through the end of November. An estimated 70,000 cubic yards of sediment will be removed, and the channel will be dredged to a depth of 6 feet at low tide.
The pipeline will be used to pump sediment to the Gateway Dredged Material Management Facility.
