Dredging Proposed For Lacey Waterways

LACEY, NJ — Dredging is proposed for waterways in Lacey, and public comment on the proposal is open through Sept. 22, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

According to public notice, Lacey requested authorization to perform maintenance dredging on six township waterways for a 10-year time period.

These waterways are Windy Cove, Hancy's Pond, Worden's Oyster Pond, Stouts Creek, Sunrise Beach and Bayside Beach.

You can see the full plan here, along with information on how to submit comments.

The purpose of the dredging is to provide safe waterways for recreational usage - which is something residents have brought up several times at Township Committee meetings and have been hoping for. An overabundance of silt previously was causing issues in Stouts Creek.

Each individual dredging event is expected to take about three months, with up to 10 events anticipated to be done over the next 10 years, according to the Army Corps. The first is proposed to be on or after Oct. 1, 2024.

"The decision whether to issue a permit will be based on an evaluation of the activity's probable impact including its cumulative impacts on the public interest," the Army Corps said. "The decision will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of important resources."

The public notice can be seen here.