BALTIMORE – Crews under contract of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, are mobilizing to dredge an estimated roughly 1 million cubic yards of material from the Baltimore Harbor and Channels navigation project via a $14.1 million contract awarded this past fall.
Dredging in the harbor is expected to begin in the coming days and is primarily being performed to ensure continued safe navigation for vessels going in and out of the Port of Baltimore.
“Maintaining the shipping channels associated with Baltimore Harbor is extremely important economically to the City of Baltimore, State of Maryland, and throughout our entire region,” said Baltimore District Commander Col. Ed Chamberlayne, who, in that position, also formally serves as the Supervisor of the Harbor for Baltimore Harbor. “That is why we are committed to continuing to work closely with our partners in the Maryland Port Administration to maintain these critical water transportation systems.”
The contract was awarded to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock of Oak Brook, Illinois.
The following channels associated with the Port of Baltimore will be dredged to their respective authorized dimensions, plus specified allowable overdepths ranging from one to two feet:
- Brewerton Angle to a depth of 51 feet and width of 700 feet (roughly 540,000 cubic yards);
- Craighill Angle to a depth of 51 feet and width of 700 feet (roughly 460,000 cubic yards);
- Ferry Bar to a depth of 42 feet and width of 600 feet (roughly 73,000 cubic yards);
Approximately 1 million cubic yards of material consisting primarily of mud, silt, sand, shell, and mixtures thereof is being removed from the channels as part of these maintenance operations.
In coordination with the State of Maryland, the roughly 500,000 cubic yards of material dredged from Craighill Angle will be beneficially reused at the Paul S. Sarbanes Ecosystem Restoration Project at Poplar Island located on the eastern side of the Chesapeake Bay. Also in coordination with the State of Maryland, the roughly 540,000 cubic yards of material dredged from Brewerton Angle will be placed at the Cox Creek Dredge Material Containment Facility (DMCF) and the material removed from Ferry Bar will be placed at a Confined Aquatic Disposal Cell located adjacent to the Masonville DMCF.
Maintenance dredging is expected to conclude this spring.
Release no. 17-001