BALTIMORE -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District, received emergency request approval to use USACE, Wilmington District’s dredge MERRITT to remove ~7,500 cubic yards of dredged material from the Ocean City Inlet this July.
This emergency dredging is based on the need for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to be able to respond in the event of an emergency. With increased boating traffic during the summer months and the arrival of the White Marlin Open fishing tournament in early August, there is an increased risk of emergency response by the USCG.
“We’ve heard the concerns from mariners and local officials and understand how critical this waterway is to both safety and economic security for the region,” said Baltimore District Commander Col. Francis Pera. “Dredging in the Ocean City inlet is extremely important work and we’ve taken the necessary additional steps to ensure the waterway remains navigable.”
Dredge MERRITT is expected to arrive in Ocean City around July 14. Dredging will commence around July 15 and will focus on the priority area along the northern half of the channel near the harbor. The dredging cycle will take approximately eight to ten days to complete.
The request to use USACE’s side-caster dredge MERRITT is in response to the unavailability due to maintenance of both dredges typically used during annual maintenance dredging in the OC Inlet – CURRITUCK and MURDEN.
The MERRITT is able to perform maintenance dredging in navigation channels as shallow as 5.5 feet. The dredge will side-cast material approximately 85 feet from the vessel, where it will settle to the bottom of the waterway. Maryland Department of the Environment provided a Water Quality Certification in anticipation of the July dredging cycle, in compliance with Section 401 of the Clean Water Act.
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