Posted on July 24, 2024
JACKSONVILLE, Florida — The project was awarded March 15 in the amount of $9,295,100 to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, LLC. It8 calls for the dredging the St. Lucie Inlet entrance channel and impoundment basin to required depths of 10 to16 feet with an allowable over depth of 2 feet.
The dredging was set to start on July 2; howeer, the project was temporarily suspended due to environmental conditions/concerns when the Queen Conch, a recently listed threatened species, was discovered within the project area on June 28, prior to the contractor’s arrival on site.
In coordination with the National Marine Fiheries Service (NMFS), USACE requested an approval for “Urgent and Compelling Need” to relocate the Queen Conch away from the project area, in order to protect the threatened species.
Once given the green light by NMFS, a specially licensed contractor successfully relocated the Queen Conch on July 19, allowing the temporary suspension of the project to be lifted and cleared the way for dredging that began on July 20. This allowed USACE to continue forward with our mission to dredge the navigation channel, maintaining safe depths for vessels.
As noted previously, all material will be placed in the permitted ocean disposal area which lies approximately 10.6 nautical miles southeast of the inlet. Work also includes, but is not limited to turbidity monitoring, trawling and environmental species monitoring.
Dredging and placement will be continuous, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until the project is complete. Projected completion is the end of September 2024.
USACE advises all mariners to observe posted speed and Notice to Mariner instructions to ensure public safety.
The project non-federal sponsor is Martin Co. Public Works.
For information about other USACE studies and projects, please visit www.saj.usace.army.mil.
