Nauset Estuary Dredging Project

Nauset Estuary Dredging Project

Meeting Videos

The Project

  • Location: Channel from Town Cove to behind the barrier beach and stopping at the Nauset Inlet
  • The Inlet: The inlet would not be dredged
  • Amount of Sand/Sediment: 155,560 cubic yards of material to be dredged (removed offsite via trucks, and/or cast aside)
  • Channel Length and Width: 28,300 linear feet. 50 feet wide, 100 feet wide behind the barrier beach
  • Dredge Zone: An area several hundred feet wide where the dredging and dredge channel could occur, depending on the location of shoals on a given year
  • Cost: $3.1 million for one full dredge project; the project cost will be revised during permitting to include additional project elements
  • Duration: One full dredge episode could take place over several years, this has not yet been determined; approximately an additional 60,000 cubic yards may need to be dredged behind the barrier beach annually; other locations would need repeat dredging every 8 to 15 years
  • Purpose: Improve navigation in the marsh and Town Cove; water quality will not be improved
  • Methods: 3 - Hydraulic dredge, mechanical dredge, side-cast dredge
  • Permits Required: 8 plus
    • Expanded Environmental Notification Form (EENF - State)
      • Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
    • National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA - Federal)
    • Cape Cod Commission (Regional)
    • Notice of Intent - Eastham and Orleans Conservation Commissions (Local)
    • 401 Water Quality Certification (DEP- State)
    • Chapter 91 Permit (DEP - State)
    • Coastal Zone Management for Federal Consistency (CZM - State)
    • US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE- Federal)
      • Any other additional studies, mitigation, and/or plans required by the agencies mentioned