Project To Restore Chesapeake Bay Islands To Begin Combating Erosion
TILGHMAN ISLAND, Md. (WJZ) -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District is planning to begin a new project to restore two Chesapeake Bay Islands that have slowly been eroding away.
"They've eroded over time due to climate change and just rough Chesapeake Bay wave energy," said Trevor Cyran, Civil Works Project Manager for the Corps of Engineers.
The Mid-Bay Island Project will rebuild James and Barren Islands, located off the coast of Dorchester County. It is expected to begin in September.
The project will use material dredged up from the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay's navigation channels that lead to the Port of Baltimore.
"We dredge the material out of those channels and instead of wasting it and dumping it at sea we instead rebuild our islands," said William Doyle, Executive Director for Maryland Administration.
Many birds and other wildlife live on the islands. But their habitat has been disappearing as the islands have eroded.
"Human activity has basically gotten rid of that habitat for various species that depend on it for survival," said Cyran.
The new project is similar to the Poplar Island project which also used dredged material to restore that island.
The Mid-bay project will restore 2100 acres of habit and will also allow big container ships to continue to pass through the Chesapeake and into the port.
"It allows for existing ships that we already see visiting the port but it also continues to allow the larger vessels that we're seeing come in as well," said Holly Miller, Deputy Director of Harbor Development for the Maryland Port Administration.
The project is one of 500 across the country funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which provides $14 billion dollars to make improvements at ports and waterways and to increase climate resilience. The Mid-Bay Island Project is receiving $37.5 million dollars from it.
"It's really a marrying of two businesses ecosystem restoration and the beneficial use of dredge to keep their port open," said Cyran.
The project is expected to last until 2067.