U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen announce a nearly $40 million Chesapeake Bay restoration project in Dorchester County, Maryland

DORCHESTER COUNTY, Md. – New federal funding will help continue efforts to protect the Chesapeake Bay and Dorchester County.

U.S. senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin traveled to Fishing Creek, Maryland, on Thursday to announce new funding for the Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Restoration Project.

The $39.9 million will kick off the second phase of the project, Dorchester County Council Chairman Lenny Pfeffer said, saying it will make the canals more profitable for watermen. “This will open up loopholes in the Honga River, giving our seafood industry a faster route to the bay. It will save them many hours, a lot of money and a lot of gas.”

Pfeffer said it would effectively improve safety on shipping lanes to and from the Port of Baltimore. “We have erosion problems in Dorchester County, so developing the barren islands will help protect us from some of the commercial traffic that flows up and down the bay.”

Approximately 335,000 cubic meters of silt, mud and sand material will be removed from river channels. The material will then be recreated and extended to island habitats for local wildlife such as fish, reptiles and amphibians.

Senator Van Hollen believes this will benefit everyone over time. “We call this a win-win situation because we will be able to dredge these channels on the Honga River into the Port of Baltimore to allow ships and boats to pass through more easily and use the collected material to build the ecosystem. “

The project is expected to be completed by 2067, providing capacity for more than 30 years and enabling the storage of nearly 95 million cubic yards of spoil.

“The long-term goal is to extract the material and put it to some useful use, so that’s what we do here. This is a model not only for our nation, but for our community. Extract material from dredging and turn it into a positive impact for our environment.”