Poplar Island to continue receiving dredged sediment January 29, 2021, posted by Zlatan Hrvacevic
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District completed construction of the Poplar Island Ecosystem Restoration Project lateral expansion Jan. 20, 2021, providing 575 additional acres, including four new wetland cells and one large upland cell.
The project is now able to accept dredged material associated with the approach channels to the Port of Baltimore until around 2032.
In 2007, Congress authorized an expansion of the project’s footprint to allow for more dredged material placement capacity and ecosystem restoration benefits.
It’s been 23 years since Poplar Island’s first containment cell was completed, and in 2017 construction of the expansion began. Since then, teams have worked diligently and efficiently on the expansion through the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, following CDC guidelines, and completing the work ahead of s
Maritime Activity Reports, Inc.
(Photo: The Maryland Port Administration)
The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are marking a milestone of environmental stewardship this month on the landmark restoration of Poplar Island near Talbot County. Simultaneously, the agencies are advancing plans for their next partnership using dredged materials to preserve and protect Maryland’s waterways: the Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration.
Since 1998, Poplar Island has been Maryland’s primary site for reuse of sediment dredged from shipping channels leading to the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore. Construction for the island’s final expansion, adding four new wetland cells and one upland cell, was completed January 20. The expansion adds 575 acres and capacity for 28 million cubic yards of material.
Boost for Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem project January 22, 2021, by Eldin Ganic
Port of Baltimore will receive a significant funding in the Army Corps FY21 Work Plan to complete preconstruction engineering and design on the Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration Project and other important dredging projects.
“We look forward to working with our partners in the Baltimore District to advance this project, which is critical to the Port of Baltimore and to the ecosystems in the Chesapeake Bay,” said the Port in their latest announcement.
The Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration project, often referred to as Mid-Bay Island, is located on the islands of James and Barren in western Dorchester County, Maryland.