Dredging Completed at Nissequogue River State Park

The Nissequogue River State Park dredging project was finished successfully last week, according to Long Island's Regional Director of State Parks, Ron Foley, who said the project's aims were accomplished in making the channel through the south marina area more navigable.

"The marina will operate as normal in the coming year," he said. "The area should have a deeper channel to be more useable at high or low tide."

Before the work, boats had been making contact with the river bottom at low tide, Foley said in October.

He said his agency received one complaint about noise as crews worked “long hours” to remove silt from the south marina channel and move it to an area further south. Foley said the complainant was satisfied with an explanation of the work.

While plans exist for realigning the way the marina is set up, as well as other “general improvements” of the current facilities, Foley said no further work will be done for at least a year.

“We only have plans, no money yet. I have no idea when that will happen,” he said. Much depends on what money is allocated through the state budgeting process. Once the funding is there, the next phase will be determined according to the parks department’s priorities.

Foley estimated the marina’s modernization to be of “medium priority,” with health and safety issues taking precedence.