Turkey Bay, Wiggins Channel Dredging Progressing Well

This spring City of Marco Island residents will be able to enjoy a wider and more robust section of South Beach between the Belize at Cape Marco Condominiums and Marbelle Club Condominiums, Collier County said in their latest release. 

The beach in that section will soon be refurbished with approximately 80,000 cubic yards of sand. The Turkey Bay, Wiggins Channel and Caxambas Pass Dredging Project is progressing well, said the county.

Dredging work has been completed at Wiggins Channel and Turkey Bay. Sand dredged from Wiggins Channel and Turkey Bay was pumped to the nearshore (tidal zone) south of Barefoot Beach to help replenish eroded sand from that area.

Equipment is now in the process of mobilizing to begin work next week at Caxambas Pass. Sand dredged from Caxambas Pass will be placed in the upland area (beach berm) on South Marco Beach to help replenish that area.

Crews plan to work around the clock to complete the project as quickly as possible. The dredging work is required by the Department of Environmental Protection permit to be completed before sea turtle nesting season begins on May 1.

The $2.35 million project is expected to be completed in spring 2020.

The Board of County Commissioners awarded the contract to Florida Dredge and Dock, LLC at their November 12 meeting.

Money for the project is allocated from two sources: Tourist Development funds are covering the Wiggins Channel dredge and the Caxambas Pass dredge/South Marco renourishment work; Turkey Bay dredge is funded from Vanderbilt Waterways MSTU.