FY24 brunswick inner harbor maintenance dredging

The Brunswick Inner Harbor Dredging Contract provides construction services, including furnishing personnel, transportation, mobilization and demobilization, equipment and materials required in connection with maintenance dredging.  This contract is traditionally performed with a hydraulic cutterhead dredge, and the duration is expected to be 120 days from notice to proceed.  Up to 835 thousand cubic yards of maintenance material is expected to be removed from the inner harbor.

The work is located in Brunswick Harbor Georgia deep draft navigation project.  Brunswick Harbor is located in Glynn County, Georgia, 70 statute miles south of the Savannah Harbor, Georgia, and 25 statute miles north of Fernandina Harbor, Florida.  Brunswick Harbor Inner Harbor channel is 36 ft. deep MLLW and 400 ft. wide through St. Simon Sound, Brunswick River, Turtle River, South Brunswick River, and East River.

Brunswick Harbor Inner Harbor is generally dredged in late summer or fall.  The dredging in the Brunswick Inner Harbor primarily takes place in the East River (station 0+000 to 12+000) which includes the East River Turning Basin and the Transition Areas leading up to the turning basin and immediately upriver of the basin.  The South Brunswick River (station 0+000 to 7+000) in the Brunswick Inner Harbor is the other area that generally requires dredging and is primarily dredged when shoaling become problematic to navigation but is constantly monitored monthly.  The Lower Turtle River (station 34+000 to 43+000) and Brunswick River (station 22+000 to 26+000) in the Brunswick Inner Harbor are other areas that may require dredging and are primarily dredged when shoaling become problematic to navigation but are constantly monitored monthly.  Approximately 700,000 cubic yards of material is anticipated to be removed from the East River, approximately 85,000 cubic yards of material is anticipated to be removed from the South Brunswick River, approximately 40,000 cubic yards of material is anticipated to be removed from the Brunswick River and approximately 10,000 cubic yards of material is anticipated to be removed from the Lower Turtle River this dredging cycle.

The maintenance material removed from the Brunswick Inner Harbor is placed in the Andrews Island Dredged Material Containment Area located adjacent to both the East River and the South Brunswick River.  Andrews Island is the only confined upland containment area in the Brunswick Inner Harbor.

Advanced maintenance depths and locations for Brunswick Inner Harbor is as follows:

East River, 0+000 to 2+500 project depth is 36’ with 1’ of advanced maintenance.

East River, 2+500 to 4+500 project depth is 36’ with 5’ of advanced maintenance.

East River, 4+500 to 6+250 project depth is 36’ with 1’ of advanced maintenance.

East River, Turning Basin project depth is 36’ with 1’ of advanced maintenance.

South Brunswick River, 0+000 to 7+000 project depth is 36’ with no advanced maintenance.

Brunswick River, 22+000 to 26+000 project depth is 36’ with no advanced maintenance.

Lower Turtle River, 34+000 to 43+000, project depth is 36’ with no advanced maintenance.

Environmental windows limit the timing of dredging in the Brunswick Inner Harbors.  Environmental restrictions on the Brunswick Inner Harbor include a Least Tern nesting window to where dredged material must not be placed in the Andrews Island confined upland disposal area between the middle of April through the middle of August.