Southampton - The dredging of Shinnecock Inlet is underway and, though slightly behind schedule due to the weather, is on track to be completed before the end of the year.

Congressman Tim Bishop (left) and State Assemblyman Fred Thiele (right) helped push funding for the dredge project through the state and federal governments.

The process is already underway, with the gigantic dredging vessel The Illinois perched in Shinnecock Bay while it waits on a number of repairs. A recent nor'easter had damaged one of the suction hoses and the winter storm this past weekend further held back the schedule, though Rick Elizondo, contract manager for Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, was relatively confident that the project would be finished before January. They're working within a tight window, as they have to fit the entire project between early December and early January to avoid the breeding and development of protected species, such as the piping plover and the winter flounder.

So far, the crew of the Illinois have dug up more than 100,000 cubic yards of sediment from the channel and plan to remove another 380,000 cubic yards by the end of December. The sand will be used to replenish Tiana Beach in East Quogue.

The project is joint-funded by New York State and the Federal government, $11.5 million from the state and $8.2 million from the feds, according to U.S. Congressman Tim Bishop (D-1), $5 million of which came from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, commonly known as the stimulus bill. During a press conference at the inlet last week, Bishop lauded the efforts of his fellow elected officials in getting the dredge work started this year, namely State Senator Ken LaValle (R-1) and Southampton Town Councilman Chris Nuzzi.

LaValle assisted the effort by lobbying the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and other state agencies for their portion of the funding. "This is critically important," LaValle said of the dredge work, "For years we've been talking about safety issues in the inlet," as winter storms have caused massive shoaling, crippling navigation and preventing the flushing needed to maintain the ecosystem.

Councilman Nuzzi, who has taken the lead for the Southampton Town Board, kept the need to dredge the inlet at the forefront, even making it a main talking point of his recent campaign for re-election. "We knew its importance, both from a recreational perspective and also the commercial aspect," Nuzzi explained, as a clogged waterway has negative effects on anyone who wants to use Shinnecock Harbor.

"It doesn't seem to matter if I'm a Town official or a State official, I get to stand on a beach in the winter to talk about dredging," State Assemblyman Fred Thiele (I-2) joked, reinforcing the continued importance of dredge work for maintaining the East End's waterways. "It's very timely now," he continued, "This will provide what I think is a temporary solution," as more storms and further shoaling will required continued maintenance throughout the coming years.

The dredging vessel The Illinois is currently parked in Shinnecock Bay. From there, it will be moving on down the East Coast.

Points East
While the Feds concentrate on Shinnecock Bay, there are a few dredge projects going on in East Hampton this season as well. The only federally-managed waterway in East Hampton is Montauk Harbor, which Bishop plans to submit in the 2010 Omnibus spending bill; the remainder are managed by the Town Trustees and Suffolk County.

Dredging is underway at Fresh Pond in Amagansett as of last Thursday and is expected to finish up early this week, weather permitting, and the annual excavation of Georgica Pond is scheduled again this year.

There are currently applications before the DEC to have work done on Accabonac and Nappeague Harbors as well, according to the Clerk of the East Hampton Town Trustees Diane McNally, though both projects are still up in the air. The permit for Accabonac is nearing expiration, however McNally is confident that they will be able to get it through in time. "This is like a roller coaster," she said, "but right now it looks like a go."

Applications exist for Nappeague Harbor, however no formal plans have been made yet to tackle it this year, though the harbor "did shoal up quite a bit last month," McNally stated, and she would like to see it dredged this season.

Three Mile Harbor, for which the East Hampton Department of Natural Resources has submitted applications to clear the inlet, is done by Suffolk County, and may or may not happen this year, as with years past. According to McNally, town employee Bill Taylor is attempting to expand that permit to cover the entire channel.

"With all the stars aligned we'll have Georgica, Accabonac and Nappeague dredged this year," McNally said hopefully, "To have all the waterways open for the summer - that'd be my Christmas present."

Keeping channels open is important for both commercial and recreational fishing, as well as for the sea creatures that inhabit them.