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Maintenance Dredging of the Newburyport Harbor starting this week

Project is supervised by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and will be completed by March 31, 2023
Posted on: October 6, 2022 - 4:31pm
Dredge location at mouth of Merrimack River

H&L Contracting, LLC of Long Island, NY will be performing Maintenance Dredging of the Newburyport Harbor under contract to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The project will consist of hydraulically dredging approximately 226,000 cubic yards of material from the two entrance channels at the mouth of the Merrimack River. Dredging operations began the week of October 3rd and will conclude by March 31, 2023. Dredged sand will be placed along the Plum Island Beach.

This dredging will help maintain the required depths for the federally designated navigation channel and the sand will reestablish and protect the public beach, public infrastructure and private homes inland of the current gyre and erosion hot spot just north of the Jetty, which has been largely attributed to the South Jetty reconstruction undertaken by the USACE several years ago.

A Local Notice to Mariners has been published by the U.S. Coast Guard. All mariners are requested to steer clear of dredging equipment to the safest extent possible and to proceed at the minimum speed necessary to make way.

The eastern portion of the parking lot for Plum Island Beach and the Jason Sawyer Playground will remain open to the public but the western portion will be used as a staging area. The work areas, access ways from the parking lot to the beach, and placement area at Plum Island Beach will be closed to the public for the duration of the work.

Please note that this important and timely Federal project is a 24/7 operation and there will be contractor equipment, lights, noise and potentially hazardous conditions along the impacted beaches that the general public should avoid.

For more information and continued updates, you can review this page maintained by the Planning Department: https://www.cityofnewburyport.com/planning-development/harbor-dredging-project 

Any questions or requests for information regarding the work should be directed to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District.