Harbor has on the city’s shorefront during a meeting of coastal officials and Rep. Dorinda Borer last week.
Making New Haven Harbor more conducive to natural improvements was the topic of a recent discussion, and continued meeting between on state official, and various other interested parties.
State Rep. Dorinda Borer recently convened a meeting with federal, state, and local officials involved in the New Haven Harbor Dredging project to discuss the timing and impact to the Harbor and West Haven’s shoreline.
The project includes the removal of nearly 4.3 million cubic yards of sediment and 43,500 cubic yards of rock. The plans are to utilize the rock sediment for local reef building and clean sediments for marsh creation within the harbor.
Significant state and federal funding has been allocated for this project. As former Bonding Committee Chairman, Borer worked on allocating funding for the Harbor; for both clean water and for the widening and deepening of the channel.
Dredging will create tidal wetlands for plants and animals, create shellfish beds, reduce waves that result in storm damage, and benefit the water pollution control plant. Depending on timing and wetlands elevation, it may also help the construction of the critical WPCA outfall pipe.
Rep. Borer pulled the parties together because she felt city officials need to be engaged and in tune to the timing of the project, but also should be sharing information with the Army Corps regarding West Haven’s shoreline to avoid unintentional adverse effects.
“The purpose of this project is a matter of safety, boating, and commercial activity, but everyone involved should be weighing in on the timing and plans for this project,” Rep. Borer said. “We will be successful only if everyone is rowing in the same direction.”
Along with Rep. Borer, the meeting included: Abdul Quadir – City Engineer, Joseph Salvatore – CT Port Authority; Craig Martin – Senior Project Manager, Navigation Section US Army Corps of Engineers; United States Army Corp of Engineers Project Manager; Lisa Winter – New England District’s Senior Coastal Engineer; Bob Pimer – West Haven’s Harbor Master; Tommy Green & Meli Garthwait – 2nd District Councilwoman; Mark Paine – Director of Parks and Recreation; and Bill Lucey – Save the Sound.
Two key players on the West Haven team are parks and recreation director Mark Paine and West
Haven Harbormaster Robert Pimer.
“We’re excited to see the planning for the New Haven Harbor dredge project progressing,” Paine said. “It’s vital to our area to maintain safe waterways, and New Haven Harbor is both an active commercial port and recreational boating hub with marinas at West Cove, City Point, and the Quinnipiac River. We’re working directly with the Army Corps of Engineers on the project, specifically with a salt marsh enhancement directive.”
Paine wants to ensure feedback is given to the Army Corps that the material be placed in a location it will accrete and stay put, as erosion and washouts would be detrimental to both the habitat and re-sedimentation of the navigation channel with materials previously removed. He explained what happens along our beaches during strong storms, and is working with the Army Corps to help them understand some of the local wind, wave, and current energy dynamics that can be difficult to model.
“We’re excited by the prospect of having more healthy marsh area around the Sandy Point area,” Paine said. “Old Field Creek, now a vibrant marsh with self-regulating tide gates, empties right into this area, providing productive tidal flats all along this nationally recognized and important shorebird nesting area.”
Pimer, who has been navigating the waters his whole life, was appreciative and felt the meeting was very beneficial. “I think our meeting with the Army Corp was very productive,” he said. “The concerns Mark Paine and I have about dumping the spoils in the proposed area is that it has the potential of destroying the Sandy Point Estuary. The Army Corps seems open to our ideas regarding a better possible area; that would enhance our beachfront community and would preserve the April Street boat ramp and the West River, which serves over 400 boaters in the West Haven area.”
Abdul Quadar, who has been serving as the city engineer, emphasized the purpose of the dredging:
“Dredging the harbor channel will be beneficial as larger ships will be able to dock at the harbor, which will reduce time, costs, and emissions, thus benefitting the environment.”
Borer has set up a standard meeting schedule for continued communication.