Corps ahead of schedule with Quincy Bay dredging

QUINCY — Those in charge of dredging Quincy Bay and Harbor said Friday the project is going swimmingly and boaters will certainly notice the difference when they’re done.

The goal is to have the water level at six feet at pool stage.

The targeted area, or cut, is about 2,,000 feet long along the land side of Quincy Bay to the bridge people use to get over to Quinsippi Island.

“We’re actually way ahead of schedule. This job was scheduled for 55,000 cubic yards. We’re over halfway with 30,000 cubic yards,” said Michael Parker, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Program Manager. “This cut right now, even though it’s a narrow cut at 100 foot, it’s extremely shallow.”

He said once they get to where “The Dock” restaurant is located, it’s only three feet deep.

“It makes it slower. Because all the material has to be removed. And you want it moved all to one place. That way, you’re not moving your anchor and moving your dredge constantly. It’s a slow process.”

The sludge or slurry is taken out of the Mississippi River and transferred to two containment ponds. The sand settles there, and the clear water discharges back into the Mississippi River. One of the ponds is already filled. The second pond has plenty of room. The Corps does not expect to fill it.

The goal is to get it all done by August 15th.

“I’m telling you, we are working extremely hard,” added Parker.

The result will be better water flow. Parker described it when he got here as “lacking.”

“It’s just a slow process when you do this,” he explained. “When you see the dredge out there and it’s back and forth, you don’t see what’s going on under the water. The big cutter head turning 12 inches of pipe on it. That pump is pumping 2,600 feet with an elevation of about 20 foot. We’re moving approximately 1,000 to 1,500 cubic yards a day. It’s very tedious. It’s a rewarding job, but it can be boring.”

Still, the process drew several onlookers around the lunch hour including Tom Frese of Quincy. “I’m bored,” he said while perched on his scooter. “It’s something to do. I’m retired. I come down about every day. I don’t quite understand what they’re doing.”

Muddy River News couldn’t help but wonder if anything unusual was uncovered as a result of the dredging.

Parker did hold onto an old Pepsi soda can that, by the markings, appeared to be several decades old.

Not exactly a buried treasure, but a fun story to pass the time.