Army Corps vessel on the way to do emergency dredging of Montauk Inlet

An Army Corps of Engineers vessel is expected to arrive in Montauk within the next week to conduct emergency dredging of the Montauk Inlet channel, the agency confirmed Monday.

The dredging vessel Murden, stationed at Lewes, Delaware, could be on the scene at Montauk this weekend or early next week to address dangerous shoaling in the waterway that has kept some larger commercial boats out of the state’s largest fishing port.

In a statement, the Army Corps’ New York District said it received "expedited authority to dredge approximately 10,000 cubic yards of sand to deepen areas of Montauk Inlet where significant shoaling has occurred."

Previously, the Army Corps had said it planned to dredge the inlet in late 2025, citing "regulations protecting several species of endangered fish" that would limit working at the inlet to the months of November and December."

No one questioned the need for emergency dredging. The Coast Guard’s Montauk station told Newsday it had received numerous calls about boats hitting bottom as they navigated the inlet and issued warnings to mariners about the hazards of traversing the inlet at low tide.

Still unclear was how the emergency dredging would be paid for. The Army Corps’ notice said the work would be "subject to the availability of funds."

Lawmakers, including Republican Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) and Democratic East Hampton Councilman David Lys, had been pressing the agency to expedite the work.

LaLota called the decision "a victory" for Montauk’s fishing community and economy. Schumer in a statement said the work will "make the entire area safer." 

Schumer’s office said the dredging vessel was expected to complete work in Cape May, New Jersey, on Wednesday and set off immediately to Montauk, where the job is expected to take three to five days.

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.