Dredging effort starts at Sandy Creek in Hamlin

Photo courtesy of Governor’s Office: The Sandy Creek harbor in Hamlin is currently being dredged as part of a $15 million regional dredging initiative.

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced dredging has begun at the Sandy Creek Inlet in the town of Hamlin as part of the State’s $15 million REDI Regional Dredging Project.

The dredging of up to 20 navigation channels along Lake Ontario’s south shore and the St. Lawrence River is a significant aspect of New York State’s $300 million Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative. The Oak Orchard Harbor has been dredged in Orleans County and Johnson Creek is on the list.

The dredging removes built-up sediment from the bottom of the waterway to allow for continued safe harbor and passage of watercraft. It is anticipated that up to 5,700 cubic yards of sediment will be removed from Sandy Creek. Dredging will be completed with mechanical means and the dredging fleet will include a barge, excavator, and a tugboat. Sediment dredged from the channel will be placed in a defined area approximately 1,200 feet north of the proposed dredge area.

“Communities along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River have been forced to battle with the impacts of extreme weather and flooding due to climate change for the past several years and New York is doing everything within its power to ensure that these communities are prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws at them,” Governor Hochul said. “By undertaking these types of dredging and resiliency efforts, we are not only helping to ensure that these navigational channels remain open, but we are keeping those who traverse them safe, while helping to safeguard the local business community that relies on a thriving tourist industry.”

Assemblyman Stephen Hawley said, “Proactive projects like this save us a lot of money down the road and, most important, help prevent damage or injury that could occur if these sites were left unmaintained. Our waterfronts are an incredible economic resource for us to have in our community, so I am glad this project will keep the Sandy Creek site safe and operational so it can be enjoyed for decades to come.”

Town of Hamlin Supervisor Eric Peters said, “The dredging of the Sandy Creek channel is significant to the health and development of the small business community here in the town of Hamlin. We are grateful to see this project beginning. Through the REDI Regional Dredging Program, NYS is helping to ensure the safe and continued passage for recreational boaters and charter captains which will protect the tourist industry that is so critical to the Town of Hamlin and Lake Ontario Shoreline communities.”

The REDI Regional Dredging Project’s objective is to provide a comprehensive approach to the ongoing dredging needs for harbor navigation channels used primarily for recreational boating and refuge in the region. This project tackles the necessary dredging of up to 20 harbor navigation channels through Phases I and II.  During Phase III, the State will provide counties with the information they need to update, expand, and implement long-term operational, maintenance, and funding plans to maintain recreational navigation channels in the future.

To date, the State has completed 13 REDI dredging projects, and removed approximately 56,000 cubic yards of sediment to provide recreational boaters with safe access to Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. In addition to “The Cut” in Henderson, the completed dredging projects include Port Bay, Blind Sodus Bay, East Bay, Bear Creek and Pultneyville in Wayne County, Sandy Pond Inlet and Salmon River/Port Ontario in Oswego County, Irondequoit Bay and Braddock Bay in Monroe County, Little Sodus Bay in Cayuga County, Golden Hill State Park in Niagara County, Oak Orchard in Orleans County.