Dredging the Housatonic River

(WTNH) -- Sandy put dredging along the Housatonic on hold, but Tuesday crews finally got to work.

It's a sight many along the Houstonic River have been waiting for, for more than a decade.

"The good news is it's clean sand, the bad news is it's bad for navigation," said Bill Rock, Stratford Waterfront and Harbor Management Committee.

A $750,000 project will dredge the "good" to end the "bad," hopefully creating new opportunities for maritime recreation and business.

"It's a big deal. Over the years, in fact, past couple of decades, one of the complaints or concerns was the river," said Mayor Benjamin Blake. "It was becoming narrower and narrower, and more shallow. The concern was why isn't anybody doing anything about it."

"We decided what do we really need, and what can we really afford," said Rock.

The Army Corps of Engineers boat the "Currituck," which has dredged state waters before, arrived in Connecticut to begin a 27 day project that will dredge a section of the Housatonic from Stratford to Milford. About 50,000 cubic yards will be dug up and then dumped down river, near Long Beach in Stratford.

"We're not just looking at what's happening here today, but tomorrow and how to make it safe, accessible and user friendly," Mayor Blake said.

The last time the river was dredged was in 1976. Since then, parts of the river are only two to three feet deep. Once the Currituck is done, the depth will be about 14 feet. The hydraulic dredge uses pumps to suction sand through two arms that dump into a hopper. Once full, the boat motors to its disposal site, only to start the process once more. Many there are hoping the vessel's visit becomes a tradition, if money can continue to be found.

"It was worth the 13 years to make this happen, but we're not going to wait another 13 years for it to happen again," Rock said.