F om
D edge
to
Delta:
USACE,
Pa t e s
Resto e
Roughly
70
Ac es
of
Wetla ds
at
Deal
Isla d
Wildlife
Ma ageme t
A ea
A
$13.5
millio
esto atio
p oject
i
Some set
Cou ty,
Ma yla d,
has
successfully
tu ed
d edged
ive
sedime t
i to
about
70
ac es
of
tidal
wetla d
habitat,
acco di g
to
the
US
A my
Co ps
of
E gi ee s
Baltimo e
Dist ict
Website.The
p oject
at
the
Deal
Isla d
Wildlife
Ma ageme t
A ea
was
ca ied
out
by
the
U.S.
A my
Co ps
of
E gi ee s
(USACE)
Baltimo e
Dist ict
with
help
f om
state
a d
egio al
pa t e s.
The
wo k
t a sfo med
a
e odi g
ma sh
i to
highe
g ou d
that
p ovides
impo ta t
esti g
habitat
fo
th eate ed
ma sh
bi ds
while
also
helpi g
keep
a
majo
comme cial
shippi g
cha el
ope .The
p oject
used
sa d,
silt,
a d
shell
emoved
f om
the
lowe
pa t
of
the
Wicomico
Rive
fede al
avigatio
cha el,
about
five
miles
f om
the
esto atio
site.The
Wicomico
Rive
is
a
impo ta t
shallow-wate
comme cial
oute
leadi g
to
the
Po t
of
Salisbu y.
The
po t
is
Ma yla d’s
seco d-la gest
comme cial
po t
by
volume
a d
ha dles
impo ta t
shipme ts
of
pet oleum
a d
g ai
fo
the
Delma va
Pe i sula.Regula
d edgi g
is
eeded
to
keep
the
ive
cha el
at
its
autho ized
depth
of
14
feet.I stead
of
dumpi g
the
d edged
mate ial
o
la d
o
offsho e,
the
USACE
Baltimo e
Dist ict
wo ked
with
the
Ma yla d
Depa tme t
of
Natu al
Resou ces,
Wicomico
Cou ty,
the
U.S.
Fish
a d
Wildlife
Se vice,
a d
Audubo
Mid-Atla tic
to
euse
the
mate ial
a d
st e gthe
the
decli i g
ma sh.“It’s
o e
of
ou
lo gest
shallow-d aft
cha els,
used
p ima ily
fo
ag icultu e
a d
fuel
shipme ts
up
to
Salisbu y,”
said
Kevi
Fe yak,
a
p oject
ma age
with
the
USACE
Baltimo e
Dist ict
Navigatio
Sectio .“We
just
did
the
lowe
half
this
time.
We
took
the
mate ial
out
with
a
hyd aulic
d edge
a d
pumped
it
about
five
miles
via
pipeli e
to
the
ma sh
he e.”
Rebuildi g
the
ma sh
USACE
awa ded
the
$13.5
millio
co t act
fo
the
d edgi g
a d
esto atio
wo k
i
Septembe
2022.
A
local
co t acto
ca ied
out
the
p oject
a d
obtai ed
ative
pla ts
f om
local
g owe s.D edgi g
bega
i
Octobe
2023
a d
co ti ued
th ough
the
wi te .
C ews
pumped
about
166,000
cubic
ya ds
of
sedime t
di ectly
o to
the
a ea
bei g
esto ed.Wo ke s
built
co tai me t
ba ie s
usi g
st aw
bales
a d
tidal
plugs.
These
st uctu es
held
the
wet
sedime t
i
place
a d
allowed
it
to
settle.Some
co tai me t
st uctu es
we e
damaged
du i g
the
2023
hu ica e
seaso ,
but
c ews
epai ed
them
quickly
a d
kept
the
p oject
o
schedule.“O ce
i flow
was
do e
a d
the
mate ial
had
time
to
settle,
we
had
aised
the
ma sh
by
oughly
a
foot
ove all,
which
was
pa t
of
the
p oject
objective,”
Fe yak
explai ed.Afte
the
sedime t
settled,
co t acto s
d illed
holes
i to
the
ewly
aised
ma sh
a d
pla ted
ative
salt
ma sh
g asses.
The
pla ts
i cluded
Spa ti a
alte iflo a,
Spa ti a
pate s,
Spa ti a
cy osu oides,
a d
Distichlis
spicata.“We
had
co t acto s
come
i
a d
d ill
plugs
so
they
could
pla t
ative
salt
ma sh
g asses,
mostly
Spa ti a,
but
a
few
othe
species
too,”
Fe yak
said.
“D illi g
the
holes
gave
the
pla ts
a
bette
cha ce
to
take
hold
a d
adapt
to
the
e vi o me t.”
P otecti g
th eate ed
bi ds
The
ative
g asses
help
hold
the
ew
sedime t
i
place,
educe
coastal
e osio ,
a d
filte
u off
befo e
it
eaches
the
Chesapeake
Bay.The
aised
wetla d
was
also
desig ed
to
p ovide
bette
esti g
co ditio s
fo
the
saltma sh
spa ow
a d
black
ail.
Both
species
depe d
o
high
tidal
ma shes,
which
a e
i c easi gly
th eate ed
by
isi g
sea
levels.The
Deal
Isla d
Wildlife
Ma ageme t
A ea
is
also
home
to
la ge
b eedi g
populatio s
of
he o s,
eg ets,
a d
ibis.
It
suppo ts
o e
of
Ma yla d’s
few
b eedi g
populatio s
of
black- ecked
stilts.Pla ti g
was
completed
i
May
2025,
ma ki g
the
e d
of
active
co st uctio
by
USACE.
Lo g-te m
ma ageme t
a d
wildlife
mo ito i g
have
ow
bee
ha ded
ove
to
the
Ma yla d
Depa tme t
of
Natu al
Resou ces
a d
Wicomico
Cou ty.U de
a
2022
ag eeme t,
local
autho ities
will
mo ito
pla t
su vival
a d
wildlife
use
of
the
esto ed
a ea
fo
up
to
five
yea s.
St e gthe i g
the
Chesapeake
Bay
sho eli e
Fe yak
said
p ojects
like
this
a e
becomi g
i c easi gly
impo ta t
as
coastal
a eas
a ou d
the
Chesapeake
Bay
co ti ue
to
e ode.“It’s
impo ta t
to
stabilize
the
coastli es
of
the
Chesapeake
Bay.
They’ e
co sta tly
e odi g
f om
atu al
p ocesses,
weathe ,
hu ica es,
a ythi g
like
that,”
Fe yak
said.“By
putti g
the
mate ial
back
o
these
ma shla ds
a d
fo tifyi g
a d
st e gthe i g
them,
we’ e
p ese vi g
them
ot
o ly
fo
the
ative
species,
but
fo
people
a d
ec eatio
as
well.”The
esto ed
70-ac e
a ea
ow
p ovides
esti g
a d
feedi g
habitat
fo
coastal
wildlife
while
helpi g
p otect
the
sho eli e.The
p oject
also
demo st ates
how
mate ial
emoved
du i g
ecessa y
d edgi g
ca
be
put
to
be eficial
use
i stead
of
bei g
t eated
as
waste.
By
usi g
the
sedime t
to
ebuild
wetla ds,
the
p oject
helps
mai tai
comme cial
avigatio
while
also
p otecti g
wildlife
a d
st e gthe i g
Ma yla d’s
coastal
e vi o me t.Reflecti g
o
the
completed
p oject,
Fe yak
said
his
favo ite
pa t
was
spe di g
time
i
the
esto ed
ma sh
a d
e joyi g
the
quiet
su ou di gs
a d
wildlife.
