CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS: NJ-2
AUTHORITY: The existing project adopted as HD 59-644 in 1910 and modified as HD 73-275 in 1935
APPROPRIATION / PHASE: Operation & Maintenance, General
BUSINESS PROGRAM: Navigation
DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORITY: The Congressional authorization provides for a channel 7 feet deep and 150 feet wide in Delaware Bay across Maurice Cove to the mouth; thence a channel 7 feet deep, 100 feet wide to the fixed bridge at Millville, 21.5 miles above the mouth, and then 60 feet wide to the mill dam, a further distance of one-half mile, including a turning basin 7 feet deep at Millville. The total length of the section included in the project is about 24 miles. The extreme tide range is from about 1 foot below mean low water to about 1 foot above mean high water. The Maurice River supports local fishing, the oyster industry and ship repair industries. The shipyards perform repairs on Federally owned assets including USACE and US Coast Guard vessels, which serve the greater Philadelphia Port Complex.
CONSTRUCTION OVERVIEW (FALL 2023): The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District awarded a contract to Barnegat Bay Dredging Company of Harvey Cedars, N.J. for $3.3 million to conduct maintenance dredging of the lower Maurice River in Cumberland County, N.J. The dredged sediment will be beneficially used to support eroded marsh areas within the Heislerville Wildlife Management Area. More than 61,000 cubic yards of sediment will be dredged from the federal channel near the mouth of the Maurice River. The sediment will be hydraulically pumped to protect an area fronting the Heislerville Dike and to eroded marsh areas of Northwest Reach, both within the Heislerville Wildlife Management Area. Wetlands in this area have been severely impacted by flooding, erosion, and subsidence.
CONSTRUCTION UPDATES (Updated November 7, 2023): USACE's contractor Barnegat Bay Dredging started dredging operations in the channel on 10/31/2023. The contractor has been pumping around the clock six days a week (except Sunday). 8,172 cubic yards of sediment have been dredged thus far.
PROJECT GOALS & COMMENTS: The purpose of this project provides for maintenance dredging to authorized 7 foot depth. USACE and its contractor are currently conducting dredging operations and using the dredged sediment beneficially. Lessons learned from the project will be incorporated into other efforts along the Delaware River and Bay and New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway.
PROJECT MANAGER: Monica A. Chasten