Maurice River Dredging Resumes After Weather Delay, Project Nears Completion

Work to dredge the Maurice River resumed today, February 26, 2026, in Cumberland County after winter weather slowed operations earlier this week, and officials with the Army Corps report the project is nearing completion. The dredging restores activity on a navigation channel that county leaders describe as a key corridor for local traffic and habitat.

The Army Corps dredging operation paused midweek when storms and cold conditions reduced visibility and working windows, sending crews off the channel for safety. With weather conditions improving, dredges and support vessels returned to the Maurice River today to continue removing shoals and accumulated sediment that have impeded passage in recent months.

Restoration of the channel has direct implications for boat operators and shoreline properties along the Maurice River. The waterway is identified locally as both a navigation route and an ecological corridor, and the resumed work aims to reestablish depths needed for routine commercial and recreational movement while reducing risks to moorings and wakes against sensitive marsh edges.

Officials said the effort is approaching its final phase, though no new completion date was announced. The project team with the Army Corps has prioritized sections of the river that have shown the most shoaling, working from upstream reaches toward deeper main channel sections to re-open stretches used by fishermen and local mariners who rely on predictable depths for access to Crab Bay and downstream channels.

Environmental oversight and coordination with county stakeholders have been part of the operation since it began. The dredging has taken place under the Army Corps operation authorized for maintenance of the Maurice River channel, with crews using standard hopper and mechanical dredging methods to manage sediment placement and minimize turbidity in adjacent marsh areas.

Local officials and water users can expect continued on-water activity and support vessel transits through the end of the operation. With work back under way today, the Army Corps signaled that the Maurice River dredging is on track to move into finishing touches that should restore navigable depths and reduce seasonal hazards as spring boating season approaches.