Additional Dredging Planned for Manasquan Inlet Area

Emergency dredging at Manasquan Inlet following Superstorm Sandy's impact has already been completed, but additional projects in the inlet area are still planned, officials said.

The additional dredging will take place in Wills Hole Thorofare, a channel that runs south of the inlet and is the primary waterway which commercial fishing boats use to return to port following a trip at sea.

The plan for additional dredging was confirmed by Steven Rochette, spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has jurisdiction over New Jersey's inlets.

"This work will likely take place in the summer timeframe or early fall," said Rochette.

Some of the work will be completed by the Currituck, a Corps-owned dredge boat, and others will be undertaken by a contractor.

State officials on Wednesday confirmed that coastal waterways will be open for the summer season.

"We want everyone to know that New Jersey's waterways are open for your enjoyment," said state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Robert Martin. "We just ask you to use common sense and caution as cleanup continues."

Martin said during a conference call with reporters this week that the only restrictions on boat access will be when areas are marked off while dredge work is going on, or if there is a known hazard in a particular spot.

A survey map of Manasquan Inlet completed after the latest round of emergency dredging shows the inlet maintaining a depth of 14 to 17 feet in its center. The only lower depths appear on the map close to the tip of the south jetty, a historic shoaling point, where they are between 9 and 13 feet.