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Permission granted to dredge Wading River Creek this month

BARBARAELLEN KOCH PHOTO
Congressman Tim Bishop spoke at Tuesday’s press conference
announcing Wading River Creek will soon be redredged.

The dredging of Wading River Creek will start Monday and will have until July 31 to be completed, under an emergency permit Riverhead Town has acquired from the state Department of Emergency Conservation.
“To have this creek dredged in July is a miracle,” said state Senator Ken LaValle (R-Port Jefferson).
Usually, because of restrictions related to winter flounder and piping plover nests, the creek can only be dredged around December, and it usually fills up by summer.
But this year, because of the March storms, the DEC allowed the rare July dredging.
Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter and Congressman Tim Bishop (D-Southampton) both said the dredging permit was the result of town, state and federal officials working together in a bi-partisan fashion. They said the Wading River Fire Department is unable to launch its rescue boat from the creek because of the shoaling and dangerous conditions there, and they have to go the former Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant site and launch from there, which takes more time.
The job will cost $100,000, but $75,000 of that will be paid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with the town and county each picking up $12,500.
The dredge spoil will be placed on the beach in front of the homes along Creek Road to offset erosion in that area, Mr. Walter said.
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