Dredging Project Rebuilds Declining Habitat In Berkeley

BERKELEY, NJ — A recent dredging project has made water navigation safer for boaters while also rebuilding salt marsh habitats in Berkeley.

The $2.1 million project was funded by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. During a committee meeting in December, William McGrath, chairman of the Berkeley Township Waterways Commission, said the unique dredging project had been conducted in only two other areas in New Jersey.

“We pushed really, really hard and we’re really fortunate to get this work done,” Mayor Carmen Amato said. “These projects are worthwhile especially to our maritime community, who had to endure the situation of the lack of dredging.”

The project focused on several areas including Good Luck Point Channel, Berkeley Shores Channel, Berkeley Shores North Channel and Berkeley Shores Channel Spur.

Dredged material from the floor of the waterways will be sprayed on nearby, eroding salt marsh areas to elevate them and prevent water from seeping into the lagoon.

Deepening the waterways was an essential safety measure for boaters, but adding the extra sediment to the salt marsh is also important for declining bird species, such as the saltmarsh sparrow, who consider it their home.

Berkeley Township has lost 187 acres of salt marsh through erosion, storms and other impacts over the last 10 years, according to The Nature Conservancy’s report to the Berkeley Township Waterways Commission.

“What they’re trying to do is restore the salt marsh because that’s what takes the nitrogen out of the water, which pollutes the bay,” McGrath said.

McGrath said the project was completed 24 hours a day over seven days a week to ensure the project was completed by Jan. 10, when environmental regulations prohibit dredging due to winter flounder spawning.

Click here to get Patch email notifications on this or other local news articles or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app. Download here. Follow Berkeley Patch on Facebook. Have a news tip? Email kimberlee.bongard@patch.com.