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Army Corps to Conduct Dredging on Stretch of Kennebec River

PORTLAND, Maine - The Army Corps of Engineers will conduct emergency dredging operations along a stretch of the lower Kennebec River between Phippsburg and Bath.

The Portland Press Herald reports that the dredging project will begin April 19 and take about three to five weeks to complete. The work is designed to ensure the safe passage along the river channel of Navy destroyers built at Bath Iron Works.

Maine's congressional delegation had sent a letter to the Army Corps last November asking for help after concerns were raised that the channel was below authorized navigation channel depth.

The Army Corps estimates it will have to remove 70,000 cubic yards of sand from Doubling Point, a bend in the river near Arrowsic, and from the mouth of the river near Popham Beach.