OCEAN CITY, Md. - The Army Corps of Engineers will begin a dredging project of the Ocean City Inlet starting either July 2 or July 3 through July 13.
Coastal Consultant Tony Pratt says this is for good reason.
"It's a pretty treacherous inlet. Dredging will help the boaters and yachts, and the fishing boats. The commercial fleet that comes in and out can safely go in and out of that inlet." says Pratt.
According to Ocean City manager Terry McGean, crews will transport sand from the inlet to Assateague Island to make for deeper waters, about 10 ft. deep, to ensure boats have enough clearance. McGean says it will also help ensure that Assateague Island gets some much needed replenishment.
"All that sand that's washing into the inlet. If the inlet wasn't there, it would naturally have gone to the island. So the dredge will take that material and take it there to replenish it. It's sort of artificially restoring what would have naturally been happening if the inlet wasn't there.
The Army Corps says crews plan to remove between 30,000 to 40,000 cubic yards of sediment during the project.