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  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District, Announces Reduction of Services and Operational Changes at Blue Marsh Lake for 2025 Recreation Season

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Philadelphia District, which oversees the operations of numerous Flood Risk Management and recreation sites throughout the Delaware River Basin, will be implementing operational changes and reductions in services at Blue Marsh Lake due to staffing shortages during the 2025 recreation season. Staffing shortages are due to the inability to hire seasonal staff because of the current federal hiring freeze. USACE staff will continue to prioritize tasks essential to public health and safety, such as dam operations for flood protection and emergency response readiness.

  • STATUS UPDATE: Access Restrictions for Paving Projects at Blue Marsh Lake

    LEESPORT, PA (15 APRIL 2025) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District had announced various areas will be closed for public access due to paving and construction activities involved with the rehabilitation of park roadways.

  • Army Corps and contractor begin construction of new dredge

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers joined contractors Eastern Shipbuilding Group and Royal IHC on April 4, 2025, in Panama City, FL for a steel cutting ceremony, kicking off construction of a Medium Class Hopper Dredge (MCHD) to replace the Dredge McFARLAND of the Army Corps’ Philadelphia District. The event was attended by USACE Headquarters, North Atlantic Division, Marine Design Center, and Philadelphia District leadership as well as Royal IHC and Eastern Shipbuilding Group leadership.

  • Upcoming Closures For Paving Projects At Blue Marsh Lake

    LEESPORT, PA (28 MARCH 2025) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District has announced various areas will be closed for public access due to paving and construction activities involved with the rehabilitation of park roadways.

  • Army Corps releases draft report for New Jersey Back Bays Study

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced the release of a draft report for the New Jersey Back Bays Coastal Storm Risk Management Study. The draft report outlines an updated plan, which includes the elevation of approximately 6400 residential structures; floodproofing 279 critical infrastructure facilities (police, fire, ambulance, hospitals); and the implementation of nature-based solutions (using dredged material to enhance 217 acres of salt marsh habitat vulnerable to sea level change at 7 locations in the back bay area). The Army Corps, in partnership with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), is conducting the feasibility study within the New Jersey Back Bay area.

  • Army Corps shares update on Northern Ocean County beachfill

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District shared an update regarding periodic nourishment of the Manasquan Inlet to Barnegat Inlet (Northern Ocean County) Coastal Storm Risk Management project in New Jersey. In October 2024, USACE awarded a contract to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company of Houston, Texas for $73.5 million to complete periodic nourishment of the project. The base contract calls for dredging and placing 2.1 million cubic yards of sand onto the beaches.

  • Army Corps shares plan for 2025 recreational water releases from Francis E. Walter Dam

    The U.S. Army Corps Engineers’ Philadelphia District shared the 2025 Recreation Plan for the Francis E. Walter Dam. The plan specifies dates and actions associated with whitewater and fishing releases from the dam from late March to early October of 2025. USACE coordinates the plan with the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. In 2025, the plan includes 24 whitewater releases and 22 fishing enhancement releases (unchanged from prior years).

  • Army Corps shares update on Absecon Island beachfill

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Philadelphia District shared an update regarding periodic nourishment of the Absecon Island dune and beachfill project in New Jersey. USACE awarded a contract to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company of Houston, Texas for $38.2 million to complete periodic nourishment of the project. The contract calls for dredging and placing 1.2 million cubic yards of sand onto the beaches of Absecon Island.

  • Army Corps shares update for periodic nourishment of Lower Cape May Meadows-Cape May Point project

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District shared an update regarding periodic nourishment for the Lower Cape Meadows-Cape May Point project in New Jersey. In September 2024, USACE awarded a contract to Agate Construction Company, Inc. of Egg Harbor Township, NJ for $1.3 million. The contract calls for ‘backpassing’, which means sand will be excavated from areas along the beach instead of dredging the sand from offshore borrow areas or inlets. The base contract work will involve excavating approximately 88,000 cubic yards of sand from beach areas that have accumulated excess sand. This sand will then be placed at the Cove Beach area in the City of Cape May.

  • Army Corps awards contract for Abington Environmental Infrastructure project

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District has awarded a $2.1 million contract to Lucianos Excavation Inc. to stabilize, naturalize, and improve ecosystem function along Sandy Run Creek at Roychester Park and Grove Park in Abington Township, Pennsylvania.