Steven A. Ross, Old Lyme’s Harbor Management Commission (HMC) Chairman and Ned Farman, HMC Vice-Chairman, sent us the following update regarding the dredging on the Four Mile and Black Hall Rivers:
The Town of Old Lyme’s waterway dredging project shifted in late January from the Four Mile River to the Black Hall River.
The dredge company, Patriot Marine of Boston, plans to employ two dredge units at a time on the Black Hall in order to make up for work days lost due to high winds and waves.
Due to the low-lying Amtrak rail bridge, the Four Mile project was unusually challenging and labor-intensive. The general contractor for the dredge operations, working on behalf of the Town of Old Lyme and its Harbor Management Commission, is Coastline Consulting of Branford.
Permitted by Connecticut DEEP (Department of Energy and Environmental Protection) and the federal Army Corps of Engineers, the dredge projects are designed for environmental protection– improved water flow prevents stagnation and collapse of the salt marshes– and safer navigation at all tidal levels.
It is expected that users from all over the state — boaters, kayakers, those that fish and crab and bird — and the three marina owners will benefit from these infrastructure improvements.
With 100 percent grant financing from the Connecticut Deptartment of Transportation, the dredging of the two rivers is taking place at no cost to the Town of Old Lyme.