Barnegat Bay improvements

[Scott T-Bird]

Yesterday, I saw a dredging operation going on right outside our marina. Our marina owner was happy to tell me that the depth in our area and the Double Creek channel leading out to the bay is going to be improved to 8'. Previously, boats with draft greater than 4' would occasionally have difficulty during a blow-out low tide.
During my last sails of the season, I noticed dredging to open Double Creek Channel to Barnegat Inlet. I'm also told that dredging will improve access to High Bar, Loveladies, Oyster Creek Channel, Forked River and Cedar Creek. I was told that future dredging will open silted channels all the way down to Cape May.
The story I'm told is that environmental blockades of all these projects have suddenly been lifted. This topic is begging for political comment, so let's be gentle!

 

[dlochner]

The usual concerns about dredging is where to put the spoils. Depending on the location these can be filled with toxic wastes or not, but one thing for certain is they stink for a while until all the flora and fauna die and rot away.

I found this article that supports this notion, some homeowners didn't want the stinky stuff dumped across the street. Eagleswood Residents At Odds Over Dredging Project To Save Boat Slips « CBS New York Not sure how this got resolved.

I doubt that anyone in the EPA was doing your soon to be ex-governor any favors.

 

[shemandr]

I think more dredging on the East Coast can only improve the boating industry. In our area the bottom is not particularly toxic and the usual reason to not dredge are the winter flounder breeding. I don't know how serious that is but the fish can only spawn so long -'though they may wish differently. The rest of the time it should be good to go. As for the spoil there are property owners who want it to build up barriers to storm surges. Across from my slip there is a hill that is old dredging spoil. Now trees grown there, Osprey's nest and it is habitat for many critters including one very cool Kingfisher. There are areas in which the spoil is toxic and that's another story. But I think the enviromentalist's notion that all human intervention in the environment is harmful seems to becoming more moderate. They've been dredging here for over a hundred years with little negative impact. By the way we're having a great Bay Scallop season and any of you who can jump on that, should -with both feet!

 

[dlochner]

But I think the enviromentalist's notion that all human intervention in the environment is harmful seems to becoming more moderate. They've been dredging here for over a hundred years with little negative impact.

I think both sides have moderated their positions. We know a lot more about environmental issues and concerns now than we did a century ago. The main environmentalist point, that we can not run roughshod over the earth without experiencing sometimes dire consequences has been made. We're now working on the details, but we still need the radical voices to keep us awake and aware.

On the other side, businesses are realizing that cleaning up after yourselves as you make a mess is a lot cheaper and better for everyone, including the top 1% who are equally affected by foul water and polluted air. Honeywell, just spent over $2 billion on cleaning up Onondaga Lake because industry had so polluted the lake with mercury and who knows what else. The company may consider it the cost of doing business, however, share holders might have preferred increased dividends, employees might have preferred higher wages, and consumers might have appreciated lower prices on Honeywell products. Then there is the GE clean up of the Hudson River where they dumped PCBs for years.

Science helps us to understand how well the earth can heal and how much damage humans can do. With that understanding we can have a planet that will support future generations. Let's support science and research so that we can both enjoy and preserve our planet.

 

[Ward H]

The dredging is good news for us in the southern end of the BB.
Hopefully the deeper water brings more sailboats to the area. The sailing industry could use a boost.

Last season I even had to be careful coming into our channel with my 2.4' draft on my O'day 25.

Glad to see it finally happening.

 

[Gene S]

It's good to hear. The water there can be skinny in places. My parents used to have a place at Surf City. I watched over the years the debacles as we called them from the first rework of Barnegat inlet to the sand barriers on the beaches. Some of my best memories were surfing and clamming for pocket money. No rakes for us. Over the side and do the mud dance.

 

[agprice22]

Coming from Florida, where dredging is a constant feature in canals, the ICW, inlets, and to refurbish beaches, we see it as a good thing with a side effect. The “tippings” are used for land fill and beach building. Homes and buildings are raised on the fill, and beaches are built. The ocean tippings are grey sand with large, jagged shells, but it bleaches in a few years, and the beaches look fine. Canal and ICW sand is brown, and Inlet sand is just beach sand. Inlet sand is usually dumped on the beach adjacent the inlet. Sand is actually a valuable commodity. These towns need to arrange a use for the sand BEFORE they dredge it.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

The dredging is good news for us in the southern end of the BB.
Hopefully the deeper water brings more sailboats to the area. The sailing industry could use a boost.

Last season I even had to be careful coming into our channel with my 2.4' draft on my O'day 25.

Glad to see it finally happening.

I'm most happy about opening Double Creek to Barnegat Inlet and expanding the accessible areas around High Bar. I think there are some nice places to anchor over there and this will make access far better for us if we don't have to go around to Oyster Creek Channel. I never had issues in our channel last season or the season before. The only day that I was concerned about it was a day when it was a little less than 4' in my slip at low tide. But the channel was 5' and not a problem as far as I could tell. If they make a few islands outside the channels with the sand, that just enhances the scenery, no?

 

[jssailem]

Sounds like a bit more sailing freedom for next year adventuring.