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BET keeps $2 million placeholder for Greenwich Harbor dredging as Army Corps designs continue
Summary
Harbor Management Commission and consultants updated the Budget Committee on Army Corps dredging, reporting roughly half the dredged material is unsuitable for open-water disposal and that the $2 million on the books is a town cost-share placeholder; construction is not expected before 2029.
The Budget Committee approved carrying forward a $2 million placeholder appropriation to cover the Town of Greenwich's estimated cost share for federal-channel dredging in Greenwich Harbor, after an update from the Harbor Management Commission.
Ty Anderson, chair of the Harbor Management Commission, and consultant Jeff Stedman told the committee federal survey and material testing funded by a roughly $500,000 Army Corps appropriation have determined about half the dredged material is unsuitable for open-water disposal. Unsuitable material would require containment (so-called CAD cell) or other treatment that increases local cost share.
"The $2 million is kind of a placeholder number based on some work the Army Corps has done in Norwalk," Anderson said, emphasizing uncertainty in exact municipal exposure. "It doesn't mean it can't be one, can't be three, but it's not 200,000 and it's not 20 million." (Ty Anderson)
Anderson said the Army Corps has begun design work but does not expect construction to occur before 2029; when federal project funds are available, the town must be prepared to contribute its share. The commission said the appropriation has been rolled forward across multiple budget years and is intended to ensure the town is ready when the Corps moves to construction.
Committee members asked about the schedule for preliminary design and environmental review; consultants said timing remains unclear and that prioritization of Corps projects changes annually. The committee carried the $2 million forward so the town retains the ability to act when the federal schedule advances.
