The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Maine Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting on Wednesday to discuss plans to dredge part of Searsport Harbor.
The dredging would remove silty sediment from a 500-foot-wide channel extending from the deep water in Penobscot Bay to Mack Point as well as a 1,500-foot-wide turning area near Mack Point’s piers, which are used mainly for receiving petroleum products and road salt and exporting lumber, paper and potatoes, according to a draft report from the corps.
The project would cost more than $5.5 million and involve approximately seven acres, according to the corps. If the project moves forward, it will be the first time the channel is dredged since it was created in 1964, though part of one of the terminals was dredged in 2014.
Silt and sand have accumulated in the channel and it is no longer deep enough for about a fifth of the vessels calling on the port, the corps says. Some vessels must stay in the harbor during low tide and can only exit at mid-tide or higher.
Tests have found elevated mercury levels in some samples of the silt and sand that would be dredged, so the materials will be placed into underwater holding areas constructed near the dredging site, called confined aquatic disposal cells, the corps says.
The dredging would be done between November and April in an effort to reduce potential effects on species such as flounder, but would still affect the ecology of the area. The Army Corps of engineers estimates that it would take 1-3 years for marine life in the area to rebound.
The corps estimates that the channel will remain navigable after dredging for 50 to 60 years.
Searsport Town Manager James Gillway was not immediately available for comment.
In 2014, the corps proposed a much more extensive dredging project for the harbor that was met with fierce opposition from environmental groups and fishermen and ultimately dropped in 2015.
The meeting is slated from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Searsport Community Building, located at 42 Prospect St.