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Description

For the past 50 years Wells, Maine has had a busy seaport open to both commercial and residential fishermen. Maintaining this port has proven to be a rather arduous task, as the area must be routinely dredged to sustain a safe depth within the harbor for vessel travel. This maintenance is needed because the harbor is a natural marsh and was dredged into a harbor unnaturally over the years to provide safe-haven for seafaring vessels. Intermittently, due to the relatively flat underwater landscape and proximity to the coast, storm waters and high tides fill in the harbor with sediment and lead to low depths unsafe for travel. This means that dredging must be conducted every few years to remove the dregs and return the harbor to a safe depth. The process of dredging causes massive amounts of sediment to become suspended in the harbor waters, leading to unsightly murky seawaters, and increases bacteria counts within the area.

Image Citation:

https://marinas.com/view/harbor/eet5l_Wells_Harbor_Wells_ME_United_States

Publication Date

6-6-2019

Must the Dredging of Wells Harbor Continue?

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