The Army Corps of Engineers’ dredge Currituck arrived at the place on Saturday to dredge the federal navigation channel in Bennett’s Creek.
Significant shoaling, caused by natural transport and deposit of sediment, made dredging necessary. The natural shoaling was exacerbated by Hurricane Sandy.
Over the course of five days, the Currituck, which is based out of Wilmington, N.C., will dredge 4,000 cubic yards of material and place it at the Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area in Portsmouth, Va.
“We are very pleased that the Army Corps of Engineers partnered with the City of Suffolk to dredge Bennett’s Creek. This project is a great benefit to the many residents who use Bennett’s Creek for both work and pleasure ,” said Suffolk Mayor Linda T. Johnson.
The project’s cost of $144,000 is shared: 59 percent is federally funded and the remaining 41 percent is locally funded.
The current work is the first of two dredging phases – the first will provide a minimum depth of 3.5 feet. At the end of the year, the Corps will dredge to provide a minimum depth of 8 feet at low tide.
Bennett’s Creek is a shallow-draft harbor and provides access to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean for commercial fishing vessels, charter fishing boats, head boats and a wide range of private recreational vessels.
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Press Release, April 24, 2013