Scarborough River Dredge Project
Background
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), New England District, plans to perform dredging of the Scarborough River Federal Navigation Project (FNP) in Scarborough, Maine. The proposed work involves maintenance dredging and removal of up to 130,000 cubic yards (cy) of primarily sandy sediment from the entire Scarborough River FNP, an area of about 22 acres. It will restore the authorized channels and anchorage to the authorized FNP dimensions.
The proposed work will be conducted in two phases. First, materials will be removed from the Entrance Channel over an area of about 10.8 acres to return the Entrance Channel to the authorized depth of 8 feet below MLLW. The second phase will remove the remaining shoal areas over an area of about 11.2 acres returning the Main Channel and Anchorage to their authorized depth of 6 feet below Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW).
The purpose of the maintenance dredging project is to meet navigational needs of existing commercial fishing and recreational vessel traffic by maintaining the FNP to authorized dimensions.
History
Maintenance dredging was last performed in 2014, when approximately 91,500 cy of material was removed from the federal channels and anchorage and placed on Western Beach, Scarborough, Maine. Since 2014, coastal storms and natural shoaling have completely blocked off the Entrance Channel at lower stages of the tide and reduced available depths at mid-tide to approximately 3 feet below MLLW in the Main Channel and Anchorage. This shoaling severely restricts vessel traffic and results in hazardous navigation conditions.
Project Timeline
This two-phase project would be performed continuously over a three- to four-month period, between November 1, 2023 and March 14, 2024.
The dredge project will be underway from November 2023-January 2024 and operating 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Army Corps and Town of Scarborough request residents to refrain from visits to Ferry Beach and Pine Point during the project. All of the product that is recovered from the project is being pumped onto Western Beach, allowed by permitting. The beach areas are considered active construction zones, as there is a large amount of equipment and mobilization taking place.
December 1, 2023, Western Beach