What Is Navigational Dredging?

The Intracoastal Waterway (IWW) is an essential waterway for mariners, providing a safe and efficient route for vessels to travel between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. However, maintenance dredging is necessary to ensure that this vital channel remains navigable. The Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) has initiated a project to conduct navigational dredging in a 4.5-mile section of the IWW channel from the Port of Palm Beach to the Town of Palm Beach Docks.

During the project, mariners should be aware that clearances within the IWW will be reduced and navigability will be limited due to dredge operations. Every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate normal, safe navigation operations. The project is expected to begin on a 24-hour basis in mid-February 2019 and continue for approximately 90 days.

The material from the IWW channel will be mechanically dredged by Orion Marine Construction, Inc., placed into a self-contained hopper barge, and then transferred to the Palm Beach County Tarpon Cove Restoration Area. This portion of the IWW channel has not received maintenance dredging since its original construction in the 1960s, and the project aims to restore shoaled areas (which are presently impeding navigation) to their federally authorized depths.

The project will ensure that the IWW channel is restored to -10 ft Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW), its federally authorized depth. This will enable safe and efficient navigation for vessels traveling through this critical waterway, which is essential for the economic and recreational activities in the region.

What is navigational dredging