Cotuit Channel dredging project update

The Barnstable County (MA) has released the latest update on the ongoing Cotuit Channel Dredging project.

“Two of four areas have been completed and we are now moving to the mid section of the channel,” the county said in a statement.

Area 3 has approximately 8,500 Cubic Yards (CY) of sand and requires another 2,000 feet of pipe. Once this area is completed, dredging operations will move to the end of the channel (Area 4).

The county completed a similar dredging project in this area that ran from 2018 – 2020 and removed 145,000 Cubic Yards of sand. A significant portion of the spit that was removed has ‘grown’ back over the past four years blocking the main channel as it heads out of the bay.

According to the county, this project has several benefits: maintenance dredging of the channel/improving navigation, increasing the flushing of the bay (by removing ~100’ of the spit), rebuilding the wash over area at the eastern end of Sampsons Island (improving barrier beach resiliency) and building habitat for the nesting shorebirds.