City Council voted unanimously Thursday (April 23) to advertise for bids from contractors who can dredge two of Ocean City’s shallow lagoons.
The proposed specifications call for estimates on completing work at Carnival Bayou (the lagoon between 16th and 17th streets) and at Snug Harbor (the lagoon between Eighth Street and W. Revere Place near Ninth Street).
The estimated dredging calls for the removal of 60,200 cubic yards of material, 44,200 from Carnival Bayou and 16,000 from Snug Harbor. The projects would likely begin July 1, when the permitting window opens.
The work would mark the continuation of dredging for the first time since 2012, when all work stopped as the only approved disposal site was filled to capacity.
The city approved a $2.7 million contract for a company to haul material away from that site. Up to 50,000 cubic yards from the new dredging could be deposited there.
A new site near the Route 52 causeway could accommodate 7,000 cubic yards.
The bid specifications ask for contractors to provide an alternate price for removing material from the Route 52 site to make more room.
In public comment, Revere Place resident Sean Barnes thanked City Council in advance for their consideration and warned of a dangerous hidden ledge that marks the boundaries of a navigable channel and the shallow water at the mouth of Snug Harbor.
Councilman Keith Hartzell asked the administration what dredging projects would be next.
Business Administrator Mike Dattilo said the next step would involve finding more room at a disposal site. He said the city is working on obtaining a permit to build a road to access Site 83 near the 34th Street Bridge. That would make it more cost-effective to empty.
But he said perhaps the city’s greatest hope is to complete the permitting process to use a $2.6 million grant to restore wetlands by spreading a thin layer of dredged material over a wide area. Permission to do that could provide a more permanent and cost-effective solution.
