Kennebec River Maintenance Dredging 2020

The Kennebec River is one of the more formidable rivers of New England. Cashman Dredging was contracted by the Army Corps to remove shoaled material in the Kennebec River Channel. The channel is used by many Navy Vessels going to and from Bath Iron Works.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

• Cashman utilized its hopper dredge, the Atchafalaya; ~37,000 yd³ from two separate dredging templates were removed. 
• The dredging templates were Doubling Point, near Bath Iron Works, and Popham Beach, close to the mouth of the river. 
• The project faced adverse weather due to working in the winter. During that time of year, ice flows are common on the Kennebec River; however, they weren’t large enough to inhibit the work. The Atchafalaya and Survey 2 vessel were able to plan out their daily work plans and safely navigate around them. 
• Sea state was a concern near Popham Beach since the Nearshore Placement Site is not well protected by land, causing safe dump trips to take place when the sea state is in acceptable and safe conditions. During the Atchafalaya’s time dredging, the sea state stayed safe enough for only minor delays in dump trips taking place.