Dredging has begun at Braddock Bay in Monroe County, New York as part of the state government's US$15 million REDI Regional Dredging Project, which removes built-up sediment from the bottom of the waterway to allow for continued safe passage of watercraft.
The dredging of up to 20 navigation channels along Lake Ontario's south shore and the St Lawrence River falls under the state government's US$300 million Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI).
The Braddock Bay project will remove approximately 4,300 cubic metres of sediment and debris from an existing navigation channel. The dredged material will be used to nourish and build resiliency into the nearby beach.
The REDI Regional Dredging Project's objective is to provide a comprehensive approach to the ongoing dredging needs for harbour navigation channels used primarily for recreational boating and refuge in the region.
The project tackles the necessary dredging of up to 20 harbour navigation channels through phases one and two. During phase three, the state government 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 New York state government has completed four REDI dredging projects and removed approximately 11,400 cubic metres of sediment to provide recreational boaters with safe access to Lake Ontario and the St Lawrence River.
The completed dredging projects include Port Bay, Blind Sodus Bay, and East Bay in Wayne County, and Sandy Pond Inlet in Oswego County.
