County set to dredge four creeks in Riverhead Town
The Suffolk County Department of Public Works is planning to dredge four creeks in Riverhead Town between now and Jan. 15, weather permitting, according to Bill Hillman, the DPW’s chief engineer. Those sites are Meetinghouse Creek in Aquebogue, East Creek in South Jamesport, Hawks Creek in Jamesport (near Great Peconic Bay Marina), and Miamogue Lagoon in Jamesport.
Cases Creek in Aquebogue was also on the list of creeks the county planned to dredge. But the work will have to wait until the new owner of the adjacent Dreamer’s Cove Motel repairs the bulkhead and jetty.
The owner has obtained a state permit to do so, officials said.
“It doesn’t appear that will happen this year, but the other four [creeks] are on our agenda,” Mr. Hillman said. “They will be done toward the end of our dredge season. Riverhead is always the last town we do since we keep the dredge in Riverhead.
Mr. Hillman added that for East Creek and Hawks Creek, “We need to double check and see if they actually need to be dredged.”
In September, county DPW commissioner Gil Anderson asked the Town Board to pay overtime costs for the dredging jobs, estimated to be about $11,300. He made similar requests of other towns, too.
Mr. Anderson said DPW would need to run double shifts working seven days a week to finish the 23 dredging jobs it plans to do countywide with its one dredge within the 107-day dredging season. That season ends Jan. 15 due to environmental constraints pertaining to winter fluke.
Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter said the Town Board has authorized paying for the county overtime.
