DMR Solicitation of Public Comment Regarding the Searsport Harbor Federal Navigation Project, Searsport

Pursuant to 38 M.R.S. §480-D, sub-§9, the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) is required to provide the Maine Department of Environmental Protection with an assessment of the impacts on the fishing industry of a proposed dredging operation. The US Army Corps of Engineers is proposing maintenance dredging of the Searsport Harbor Federal Navigation Project (FNP).

The USACE proposes to dredge approximately 40,000 cubic yards (cy) of material from shoaled areas within the Searsport Harbor FNP totaling about 7 acres. Shoaled areas will be mechanically dredged to -35 feet Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) plus two feet of over depth. This material is unsuitable for open water disposal. Two Confined Aquatic Disposal (CAD) cells will be constructed adjacent to the Searsport Harbor FNP to contain the unsuitable dredged material from the Searsport Harbor FNP.

CAD Cell A (Starter Cell) will be mechanically dredged to a depth of -62 feet MLLW and CAD Cell B (Primary Cell) will be mechanically dredged to a depth of -72 feet MLLW. The dredged material that is unsuitable for open water disposal from the CAD Cell A/B construction, approximately 23,000 cy, will be placed in CAD Cell A. The dredged material from the Searsport Harbor FNP that is unsuitable for open water disposal will be placed within CAD Cell B. The dredged material from the CAD Cell A/B construction that is suitable for open water placement, approximately 62,000 cy, will be placed at Rockland Disposal Site (RDS) in Penobscot Bay, located approximately 25 miles south of Searsport Harbor.

Construction will take place between November 8 through April 8 in the year funds are available. Current planning is for the work to begin in November 2027 and end in April 2028.

DMR will accept written comments about the potential impacts of the proposed dredging operation on fishing in the area to be dredged and impacts to the fishing industry of the proposed route to transport the dredge spoils to the RDS. This project is significantly smaller than the previously proposed navigation improvement project, and contaminated sediment will be buried into a CAD cell next to the navigation channel. Only native, suitable sediment will be transported for disposal. It is anticipated that the number of trips to the disposal site will be approximately 20-25, and the work will take a maximum of 7-10 days. If 5 or more persons request a public hearing prior to August 2, 2026 DMR will hold a hearing. Comments should be sent to DMR at the email or mailing address listed below by 5:00 pm, August 2, 2026.

Department of Marine Resources, Attn: Environmental Permit Review, 21 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333 or email: [email protected].