Maryland moves forward with preservation plans for two Dorchester County islands
BALTIMORE -- A plan to restore James and Barren islands in Dorchester County will move forward under a $4 billion umbrella agreement aimed at preserving the Mid-Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, military officials announced Tuesday.
The Project Partnership Agreement is a collaboration between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, and the Maryland Department of Transportation.
It aims to restore the islands by re-using material dredged from the Port of Baltimore approach channels and the Honga River, military officials said.
Every year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredges nearly five million cubic yards of material from channels and anchorages serving the Port of Baltimore to maintain depths and widths that allow safe navigation, according to military officials.
Once that material is removed, it must be disposed of in an environmentally conscious manner, which will prove beneficial to the restoration project.
The islands are enduring sill and dike construction efforts. After those efforts are complete, they can begin accepting dredged material, according to military officials.
Barren Island can begin accepting that dredged material as early as 2024 while James Island can accept it beginning in 2030, military officials said.
The restoration project will target 2,072 acres of lost remote island habitat on James Island and 72 acres of remote island habitat on Barren Island, according to military officials.
These areas may consist of submerged aquatic vegetation, mudflat, low marsh, high marsh, islands, ponds, channels, and upland areas, military officials said.
Maryland Transportation Secretary James Ports, who signed the Project Partnership Agreement, described it as an "all systems go" signal that would yield "environmental benefits for Maryland."
"Rebuilding James and Barren islands will promote wildlife, restore coastal shorelines, and provide us with a long-term placement site for dredged material from port shipping channels, allowing us to accommodate larger ships bringing more cargo and business to Maryland," he said.
Ports signed the agreement alongside Col. Estee Pinchasin, the Baltimore District commander.
The Mid-Bay project is expected to be complete in 2067, according to military officials.