JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ dredge Murden arrived in Martin County Aug. 1 to dredge a problematic shoal creating a safety concern within the Crossroads reach of the Intracoastal Waterway (IWW). The Corps requests recreationists slow down and use caution in this construction area.
The Crossroads reach is where three federal channels come together: the IWW, the Okeechobee Waterway and the St. Lucie Inlet. Due to the confluence of these three waterways, this area has the highest shoaling rate within the IWW.
The dredge Murden will remove approximately 40,000 cubic yards of sand within the IWW that is currently causing dangerous conditions. Dredging is anticipated to take approximately 30 days and will be performed 12 hours per day, seven days per week.
Work consists of maintenance dredging to the authorized project depth of 10-feet, plus 2-feet of allowable overdepth for a total of roughly 40,000 cubic yards of beach quality sand. The Corps of Engineers coordinated with Martin County on the effort and determined placement of the material will be within the existing St. Lucie Impoundment Basin, which is located within the jetty area on the north side of the St. Lucie Inlet. The material can then be used for local Martin County beach efforts.
The Corps of Engineers maintains coastal and inland commercial navigation channels with priority given to those projects that provide the greatest economic and environmental return to the nation. These channels operate together with other federal and non-federal assets to form an intermodal transportation network.
For more information about the Corps' dredge Murden, visit Wilmington District's webpage at https://www.saw.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation/Dredging/District-Plant-Dredging/Murden/.
Release no. 19-050