Cottrell Contracting Begins Dredging at Wicomico River

In December, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that Cottrell Contracting out of Chesapeake, Virginia, began dredging the upper portion of the Wicomico River in Maryland to ensure vessels can continue safely carrying fuel, materials and agricultural supplies to and from Eastern Shore communities.

The dredge will remove roughly 100,000 cubic yards of material from the channel to ensure continued safe navigation along the federal channel. This dredging will focus on shoaled areas in the approximately 6 miles of the river north from the Upper Ferry crossing to the City of Salisbury.

The Corps awarded the approximately $3.4 million contract to restore the northern portion of the Wicomico River to its authorized depth of 14 feet (MLLW), plus two feet of allowable over depth, and to a width of 75 feet.

The dredging is coordinated with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the material, mostly silt and sand, will be placed at the nearby Sharps Point Site as during past dredging. The placement site is owned by Wicomico County. The work is scheduled to be completed this winter.