The Niantic Bay Yacht Club in East Lyme, Connecticut, is seeking a permit from the USACE New England District to conduct work in waters of the U.S. in conjunction with dredging 13,000 cubic yards of material to allow vessels to continue to access the docking facilities at the yacht club in East Lyme.
This work is proposed in Niantic Bay at 8 Shore Road in the town of East Lyme.
The proposed work involves mechanically dredging 13,000 cubic yards over 60,000 square feet to a depth of – 9 feet mean low water (MLW) including a 1 foot over-dredge allowance. It includes mechanically dredging 1,800 cubic yards over 6,000 square feet to a depth of -5 feet MLW including a 1 foot over-dredge allowance.
Dewatering and disposal of the dredged materials will be at an onsite upland location.
Niantic Bay Yacht Club has been permitted by the Corps for recreational structures since 1968. The applicant states that the protective breakwater is not an adequate height to completely block the sand and that over time this has led to sand accretion in many areas that could interfere with vessels accessing the docks at all times during the tide cycle.
Dredging will allow vessels to continue to access the docking facilities at the yacht club.
The applicant is working with the Corps on ways to avoid, minimize, and compensate for the eelgrass and intertidal area impacts.