Dredged Material to be Used to Repair Eroded Shoreline

New York State Office of General Services Commissioner RoAnn Destito today announced the start of dredging at Blind Sodus Bay in Wayne County as part of the State’s $15 million REDI Regional Dredging Project. The initiative is addressing a backlog of projects at harbor navigation channels along the southern shore of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. The dredging is a significant aspect of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s $300 million Resiliency & Economic Development Initiative (REDI) to repair and build resiliency in communities recovering from damage caused by high water levels and flooding.

“Governor Cuomo knows how eager people will be to enjoy all the great outdoor recreational opportunities New York State has to offer once restrictions on activities are lifted, and the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus is minimized,” Commissioner Destito said. “We know boaters are looking forward to that day, and the dredging at Blind Sodus Bay will provide them with greater opportunities to access Lake Ontario. It will also help support the tourism-related economic activities this region of the state depends on.”

“The New York Power Authority is pleased to support this essential dredging work to help assure access to New York’s great waterways,” said Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA president and CEO.  “Applying state-of-the-art technologies to target problem areas, we can help improve resiliency in communities affected by shoreline erosion and flooding.”   

Following the successful completion of dredging at the first project site at Port Bay in Wayne County late last year, the Blind Sodus Bay project will commence this week and is expected to take from two to five days, depending on conditions at the site and the weather. A longarm excavator operating from the shore will be used to remove approximately 1,300 cubic yards of sediment and woody debris, clearing the way for boats to enter and exit through a 150-foot-long navigation channel located at the east of a barrier bar that extends across the mouth of the bay.

The dredged material will be placed just east of the channel and will be used to help fill in shoreline areas eroded by previous high water levels.

Dredging design consultant Ramboll Group’s sub-consultant Prudent Engineering, LLP, a New York State-certified minority-owned business headquartered in East Syracuse, conducted a pre-design survey of the channel to determine the extent of dredging required. Prudent Engineering, which was also involved in the Port Bay project, will also conduct a post-dredge verification survey at Blind Sodus Bay to ensure the desired bottom depth is reached.

Local business Dates Excavating Co., Inc., based in the nearby Wayne County town of Red Creek, is the contractor hired to perform the dredging work.

The objective of the REDI Regional Dredging Project is to provide a comprehensive approach to the ongoing dredging needs for harbor navigation channels that are used primarily for recreational boating and refuge in the region. Through Phase I and II, this project is tackling the necessary dredging of 20 harbor navigation channels.  During Phase III, the State will provide counties with the information they need to update, expand, and implement an existing Regional Dredging Management Plan to keep the channels operational in the years to come.

The State’s initial support for the Regional Dredging Project is designed to give Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River counties the time needed to develop long-term operational, maintenance, and funding plans to maintain recreational navigation channels in the future.

Dredging locations include:

• Oswego County: Sandy Pond Inlet, Salmon River/Port Ontario
• Niagara County: Wilson, Olcott Harbor
• Orleans County: Oak Orchard Harbor, Johnson Creek
• Monroe County: Sandy Creek, Braddock Bay, Long Pond Outlet, Irondequoit Bay
• Wayne County: Port Bay, Blind Sodus Bay, Bear Creek Harbor, Pultneyville, East Bay
• Cayuga County:  Little Sodus Bay
• Jefferson County: Clayton French Creek Marina, Henderson “The Cut”
• Lawrence County: Ogdensburg “City Front Channel,” Morristown Navigation Channel

Initial details about the Regional Dredging Project in Cayuga, Jefferson, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Oswego, St. Lawrence, and Wayne counties, as well as the regional benefit to all of these counties, is available here.