Dredging of the Lower Wicomico River isn’t expected to start until October but mobilization at the dredge spoil site in the Deal Island Wildlife Management Area is underway.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District awarded a $13.5 million contract to Cottrell Contracting Corp., a small business out of Chesapeake, Va., to dredge approximately 120,000 cubic yards of material from the federal navigation channel, to its authorized depth of 14 feet.

The non-federal sponsor for this project is Wicomico County and it will benefit the Port of Salisbury, however, all dredged material removed via hydraulic cutterhead dredge will be transported by pipes up to 6.7 miles to Dames Quarter in Somerset County.

The pipes 16- and 24-inches in diameter will run approximately 0.2 miles along Messick Road and cross under Deal Island Road and continue 6 miles to the placement site off Riley Roberts Road.

At the impoundment area a diffuser will be placed at the end of the pipe to spray the dredged material of mostly silt and sand onto two areas totaling 72.5 acres for a depth of no more than 3.5 feet. It will then be allowed to settle over time.

This wetland restoration will benefit the migratory bird nesting habitat as Deal Island supports one of the largest concentrations in the state of herons, egrets and ibis, and also hosts one of Maryland’s only breeding population of black-necked stilts.

Somerset County Roads Director Woody Barnes said straw bales to serve as a barrier to contain the spoil were being delivered to the impoundment area with placement to start mid-February. He also said notice to proceed with the pipe under Deal Island Road has been issued.

He will monitor the spoil site because it will be set-up months before dredging starts, and be in place during hurricane season, he said. An informational meeting will be held by the DNR’s Wildlife and Heritage Division and hosted by the Deal Island Peninsula Partnership at the Deal Island firehouse (Station 4) on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m.

Somerset County hopes to have Webster’s Cove dredged as part of this effort, but Mr. Barnes told the County Commissioners on Tuesday last week that there has still been no resolution to that, with funding an issue.

“We are excited to move one step closer to the execution of this restoration endeavor,” said Danielle Szimanski, USACE, Wicomico River project manager. “This project will contribute to protecting environmental habitat and expanding public access within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, while also continuing maintenance dredging to ensure vessels can continue safely carrying fuel, materials, and agricultural supplies to and from Eastern Shore communities”

The Port of Salisbury is the second-most active commercial port in Maryland, consisting primarily of petroleum products and grain. Safe barge passage is crucial to maintaining adequate fuel supplies for the Delmarva Peninsula.

The project is anticipated to take approximately two years to complete.