AUGUSTA — The Maine Department of Marine Resources has issued a Notice of Public Comment regarding the City of Rockland Dredge of the Fish Pier off Commercial Street in Rockland.

Pursuant to 38 M.R.S. §480-D, sub-§9, the Maine Department of Marine Resources is required to provide the Maine Department of Environmental Protection with an assessment on the impacts to the fishing industry of a proposed dredging operation.

The City of Rockland proposes to dredge approximately 43,200 square feet of Rockland Harbor, to a depth of up to seven feet below existing grade, in two areas around the existing Rockland Fish Pier. The dredge is for maintenance and expansion. The total volume of proposed dredging is 3,850 cubic yards with 300 cubic yards consisting of rock removal and 3,550 cubic yards consisting of sediment.

The proposed dredge depth is to elevation -9.0 feet Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) with a 1-foot over dredge to elevation -10.0 feet MLLW.

The depth of dredging varies throughout the proposed dredge area from 0 feet to 7 feet depending on existing seabed elevations.

Dredging of sediment will be completed by mechanical methods using a barge mounted excavator or crane with a clamshell bucket. Sediment will be loaded onto a scow barge and transported approximately 4.9 miles to the Rockland Disposal Site (RDS), where it will be dumped.

The suitability determination of the dredge spoils has been approved by the Army Corp of Engineers for open water disposal to the RDS. Underwater rock removal will be completed by mechanical fracturing and removed with a barge-mounted excavator.

Rock removed from the seabed will be reused on the upland property or disposed offsite.

Dredging activity will occur between November 2020 and April 2021 in any given year.

DMR will accept written comments about the potential impacts of the proposed dredging operation on fishing in the area and on impacts to the fishing industry of the proposed route to RDS. Written comments need to be submitted by 5 p.m. on September 8, 2020. Comments should be sent to Amanda Ellis at the email or mailing address listed below.

Send comments to: Amanda Ellis, Department of Marine Resources, 21 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333; or email: dmr.rulemaking@maine.gov.

For more information about this project contact Denis-Marc Nault at Denis-Marc.Nault@maine.gov or (207) 592-0512.