Avalon to Dredge Back Bays in September

#39 7/25/2008,Avalon to dredge back bays in September
By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer, 609-463-6713

Published: Friday, July 25, 2008


AVALON - Dredging of Avalon's back bays to deepen waterways is scheduled to begin Sept. 15 .
The dredging includes Whale Harbor and Long Reach along a small maze of channels. The borough hopes for extensive dredging of its lagoons and harbors during the next decade.

Borough Engineer Tom Thornton said the fall dredging will remove about 27,000 cubic yards of sand, deepening the waterways to six feet below mean low water.

Now, the average is two to five feet, he said.

The $732,000 work is being funded by the state Department of Transportation. The last dredge in the area was about 25 years ago, Thornton said.



The dredging project has a 90-day window for work to be completed, Thornton said.
The company, Albert Marine, is currently dredging Bidwell Creek in Middle Township for a project funded by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The fall dredging project will fill to capacity Avalon's existing dredge material facility at Macchia's Island. Avalon owns Macchia's Island, which is located between Avalon and Middle Township.

The borough is seeking state and federal approvals to use the island as a recycling center for dredge materials and to build a road there so trucks can cart the spoils away when they've dried.

E-mail Brian Ianieri:

BIanieri@pressofac.com