By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
As absurd as it may sound, there are actually times when boats get stuck in the mud while plying the lagoons and channels in Sea Isle City.
“Over the past few years, we’ve seen quite a few boats get stuck at low tide,” said Jim Collins, general manager of the Yacht Club of Sea Isle City.
The buildup of muddy sediment has clogged some of the city’s most popular waterways, including the channel next to the Yacht Club.
However, Sea Isle has submitted plans to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the approval of a dredging program to deepen some of the shallow channels along the back bays.
The city plans to perform mechanical and hydraulic dredging within Ludlam Thorofare along private properties adjacent to 38th Street and Venicean Road as well as a number of lagoons between 49th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard, according to Sea Isle’s application with the Army Corps of Engineers.
“Of course the waterways must be maintained, as we are a seashore community,” city spokeswoman Katherine Custer said of the importance of the dredging program.
The waters next to the yacht club will be among those dredged. The city will also deepen the lagoon that serves the Sea Isle municipal marina on 42nd Place.
The bayfront lagoons come alive in the summer season as a haven for boats, kayaks, paddleboards and personal watercraft such as Jet Skis.
Sea Isle originally had hoped to complete the dredging program in time for the summer boating season, but delayed those plans when bids for the project came in too high and were rejected by City Council in March. The lowest bid was slightly above $1 million, while the city’s pre-bid estimate was $922,475.
New bids will be sought after the city secures approval from the Army Corps of Engineers for a dredging permit. The city has indicated dredging will begin in the fall.
As part of the program, the city will also work with the yacht club as well as homeowners on Venicean Road and the bay area of 38th Street and Sounds Avenue to get their private boat slips dredged.
“It makes perfect sense to work with the property owners to help dredge their boat slips at the same time,” Custer said. “The property owners are appreciative of working with the city at the same time the city is doing a bigger project.”
The yacht club and homeowners would pay for dredging their boat slips, but will be able to save money by piggybacking on the city’s dredging permits. The process would relieve them of some of the costs and headaches of doing the dredging work on their own, including finding a disposal site for the sediment.
Expressing his gratitude to the city, Collins said it is “great” that Sea Isle will make it easier for the yacht club and homeowners to dredge their slips.
“It’s a great opportunity for us and we’re looking forward to the improvements,” he said in an interview Saturday.
The yacht club has a total of 32 boat slips, but only 12 will be dredged as part of the project. The 12 slips overlook the waterway that will be dredged in front of the yacht club, Collins noted.
Collins explained that the channel next to the yacht club should be 8 feet deep, but seems to be much shallower, resulting in boats getting stuck in the mud during low tide from time to time.
“We certainly have a need to get that dredging done,” he said.
