Through an U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contract, Southern Maryland Dredging Inc., out of Friendship, Maryland, began dredging the federal navigation channel in Sheep Pen Gut at Rhodes Point on Smith Island on October 18 to realign the channel to improve navigational access.
It is estimated that 13,600 cubic yards of material will be removed from the channel to meet a depth of 6 feet Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW).
Southern Maryland Dredging Inc. is a subcontractor to Coastal Design & Construction Inc.
Dredging is anticipated for completion in approximately two weeks (weather permitting), said USACE in their latest announcement.
The material dredged from this area will be placed on Smith Island, and native vegetation will be planted in the spring on the material to restore and enhance wetlands. This is the final phase of the USACE navigation improvement project at Rhodes Point.
Earlier this year, jetties and a stone still were constructed to prevent shoaling and erosion at Rhodes Point.