FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dredging resumes in main channel of Manatee Pocket - Dredging of Manatee Creek will continue concurrently

Stuart, Fla. - June 17, 2011 - Dredging in the main channel of the Manatee Pocket will resume after a brief pause that was needed to remove sediment collected at the material handling area on Southeast Federal Highway in Stuart.

Dredging will resume near Pirate’s Cove on the morning of June 19 and will continue seven days a week between the hours of 6 a.m. - 8 p.m. The dredge will continue moving south in the main channel until the southern portion of the channel is complete.

Residents will see two different types of dredges being utilized to remove sediment from the Pocket. While a hydraulic dredge will remove sediment from the main channel, a mechanical dredge will continue making progress in Manatee Creek. Unlike the hydraulic dredging process where material is transported to the handling area through a pipeline, the mechanical dredge lifts material out of the waterway onto a barge and it is then offloaded at the staging area in Sandsprit Park.

“By dredging in the tributaries and main channel simultaneously using two dredging methods, we will remain on schedule to complete dredging by the end of the year,” Martin County Coastal Engineer Kathy FitzPatrick explained.

For construction updates, visit www.manateepocketproject.com.

Suggested photo caption: The dredge status image identifies the completed and active dredging areas in the Manatee Pocket.

About the Manatee Pocket Project
The Manatee Pocket Project is a dredging project that entails the removal of approximately 280,000 cubic yards of sediment from the Manatee Pocket in Port Salerno. Once completed, the project will result in a 100-foot-wide channel that will provide navigational and environmental enhancements to the Manatee Pocket and its adjacent waterways and provide important economic benefits for the surrounding communities.

The goals of the project are to:
• Increase the draft and size of vessels that will be able to access the Pocket
• Define a channel to minimize impacts to adjacent shallow water areas and benefit manatee protection
• Remove detrimental sediments
• Improve the ability of marine life to re-establish in the Pocket
• Improve the water quality in the Pocket by greatly reducing the resuspension of sediment

Click Here to download pdf

For more information visit www.manateepocketproject.com

Contact:
Kathy Fitzpatrick
Martin County Coastal Engineer
772-288-5429
kfitzpat@martin.fl.us