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Mantanzas Pass Cut dredging continues this week

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The dredging of the Federal Channel at Matanzas Pass Cut 2A near Bowditch

Point began this past Monday, May 25. The dredge operated for a portion of

that day as a test run for about four hours. Southwind Construction resumed dredging on Tuesday and Wednesday May 26 and 27, and worked most all day those dates. On Thursday, May 28, at 9:30 a.m. the dredging operation was temporatily shut down due to high winds at the offshore fill area near the Lani Kai Resort and, continued high winds associated

with a passing front, kept the operation shut down. The dredging resumed when the weather improved later Firday. The dredge currently is

located right off the north tip of Bowditch Point.

The clearing and grubbing at Bowditch Point occurred last week from May 18-22, and was completed last Friday, May 22. The cleared portion of the beach at Bowditch Point which is within the federal channel limits has begun to be dredged. So far since the start of dredging on Monday May 25, about 20,000 cubic yards of sand have been removed from the channel at Bowditch Point and has been pumped to the area offshore Fort Myers Beach near the Lani Kai Resort.

Based on comments I have heard from local Fort Myers reporters, I believe there may be a misconception by the press that dredging will occur under the Matanzas Pass Bridge during this 2009 USACE maintenance dredging event. That is not the case as all dredging will occur in the Matanzas Pass Channel Cuts 1 and 2A, which are the entrance channel areas just north and west of Bowditch Point as shown on the attached map.

The portion of the navigation channel to be dredged is approximately 2,500

feet long and 350 feet wide and generally is the hatched area shown on the

attached map.

Submitted by Andy Cummings

Project Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Tampa, Florida