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09/27/2022 03:35 PMCalling the Sluice Creek Marsh one of the “prime targets for the eastern seaboard for restoration,” the Board of Selectmen (BOS) unanimously voted to allow the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to move forward with the Sluice Creek Restoration Project.
The vote came at the BOS’ Sept. 6 meeting following a short discussion regarding the importance of the area.
“In order to allow us to continue to utilize the tidal basin, which restricts flow at certain times of the year into and out of that creek through the tidal gate, it means that marsh land is not getting as much filtration and water flow as it should be,” said First Selectman Matt Hoey at the Sept. 6 meeting.
The DEEP proposal will cut a channel from Sluice Creek, which flows under the bridge between The Mooring restaurant and Pa’s Place, out to an area just north of the harbor’s boat ramp across from Grass Island. The project aims to help critical marsh restoration and allow the town to repair and keep the flood gates intact at the bridge, elements crucial for flooding control.
The State DEEP considers the marsh area surrounding the northside of the marina as a crucial habitat that is slowly being eroded away. According to a report issued by DEEP, the tidal gate inhibits the free exchange of salt waters from Long Island Sound with the upstream waters of Sluice Creek.
“Guilford Harbor results in high observed currents that pose navigational hazards, especially along the western bank of the harbor (Kach, 2020). In order to maximize the potential tidal exchange and restore the salt marsh surrounding the upper reaches of Sluice Creek, a new channel was modeled to connect the East River with Sluice Creek,” according to DEEP’s report.
There are three current designs, each is roughly 600 feet long, 40 feet wide, and encompasses 24,000 square feet of area, according to the DEEP study. Marshes are not only beneficial for wildlife and plant species, but in particular as breeding grounds from everything to birds, fish, and even deer. They are also essential for flood control as they are natural sponges that can absorb excess water during storm events, according to the report.
The report from the DEEP concluded,
“The results from this study indicate a proposed bypass channel would help to achieve restoration of salt marsh habitat in the upper reaches of Sluice Creek. The channel would help increase drainage of the system overall, particularly after storm events and with increases in sea level, leading to increased resiliency of the marsh system. The channel is not shown to have any adverse impacts related to increases in flood risk. Additionally, the channel is shown to reduce velocities at the Old Whitfield St which could help to alleviate boat safety concerns within the Town Marina.”
Keeping the marina open and safe is a surprisingly complex effort that takes myriad agencies and the cooperation of multiple state and federal entities to dredge and clear the marina for traffic. An open marina isn’t just for the important commercial fishing community or for the Coast Guard’s critical mission of safety, but also a vital economic driver for the town, according to Stephen Goldschmidt, Chair of the Marina Commission.
“There are clearances required, obviously, for boats to navigate in and out of the channel,” said Goldschmidt. “These deeper hulled boats, which tend to be the commercial boats, have a critical need. So, it is important for commerce in terms of the fisheries, and then also safety in terms of the town fireboats and marine rescue unit, and of course the Coast Guard as well. They all obviously need to be able to navigate in and around the harbor. There is a focus that people need to understand. This is not a job done just for recreational purposes. It is multifaceted, including the commercial people, the safety oriented needs, and if you think about it…there are third party benefits that a healthy harbor gives to the local community and businesses. For the people who maintain boats, for the boat yards, the restaurants in the area. We are a marina that produces benefits that go far beyond just the boating community and help the numerous businesses that serve boaters.”
Dockmaster Rod McLennan said, the harbor is normally dredged to a depth of approximately six feet, but silt accumulation is quite rapid along this stretch of shoreline as it is situated between river mouths and requires constant attention.
“We silt in at a rate of about six inches a year. We dredge to six feet, but that obviously decreases by six inches a year, and that is just natural flow out of the East River on an outgoing tide and with and incoming tide we also get deposit from the Sound as well,” said McLennan. “This is pretty much a problem for all harbors that are situated along a river.”
The marina normally gets dredged every five to six years and seven on the outside, as a result of this accumulation, said McLennan. The dockmaster said that Guilford will begin a dredging project for the harbor sometime in later fall, if all of the necessary components can be aligned.
“We expect to take about 23,000 cubic yards out of both the basin and a section of the channel,” said McLennan. “If everything works out right, we hope to begin that dredging this coming November.”
McLennan said though slip fees are the main factor in funding marina upkeep and projects, critical grant funding from a number of sources also plays a huge role in maintaining the marina. The Army Corps of Engineers is the governing body that oversees dredging in and around the harbor, according to Goldschmidt, but there is a complex maze of funding, timing of permits, and seasons that can sometimes make for a very critical scheduling of the actual dredging.
“Because we are a small harbor we tend to not get the attention that a big harbor like New Haven, Bridgeport or New London receives,” Goldschmidt added. “The process is a very difficult one. Before we can even get a dredger on board a boat, we need to get a DEEP permit, we have to get an Army Corps of Engineers permit, and then once we have those in hand then we have to have a consultant issue a “request for proposals” (RFP) together to get bids from qualified bidders. Then the dredger needs to fit that into their schedules and then we have a short window mandated by the permit to accomplish all this, which this year is October 31st to January 31st and that is due to wildlife restrictions, which in our case is winter flounder.”
The silt or spoils removed from all Connecticut dredging activities is closely monitored and tested by the State DEEP and if deemed safe, is dumped in the sanctioned central Sound Disposal Area, in cooperation with New York state, according to Goldschmidt, and is all part of the permitting process. There are also several studies underway at the state level to determine if these spoils can be deposited in area marshes to mitigate habitat loss due to erosion.