Between Connecticut and Boston lies the Wareham city at the confluence of Wareham River. A small town with a population of a little over 20,000+ people lives on the banks of the Wareham river. This river needs more mentions when talking about this community. As early as 1896, the US Army Corps of Engineers completed a nine-foot (9 ft deep) channel extending 1.8 miles from the harbour entrance adjacent to Long Beach to the lower wharves at Wareham.
From the harbour entrance to Barney’s Point, a distance of one mile, the channel is about 125 feet wide. From Barney’s Point to the lower wharves at Wareham, the channel is about 250 feet wide, narrowing to 100 feet for its last 1,500 feet up to the U.S. Route 6 Bridge, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
That depth of 9 feet originally has shrunk to about 3-feet at low tide in areas from sedimentation since the last dredging in 1953. The dredge is going to return those areas back to 9-foot operating depths at low tides. Dredging will improve access to the Main Street businesses in the area. That’s generally the depth that is expected to be recovered through a nearly $5 million federal dredging project approved for the navigational channel that proceeds up the Wareham River to Main Street in Wareham Village. The channel proceeds past the Parkwood, Pinehurst areas, Tempest Knob and there’s a small portion up near Besse Park, said Wareham Dept. of Natural Resources Director and Harbourmaster Garry Buckminster. He added, “So you’ve got areas where larger, deeper draft boats have some concerns of hitting bottom and rightfully so. This is going to alleviate a lot of that concern.” The post dredged area will provide recreational, commercial and safety benefits. The dredging will provide easier access to a couple of marinas, active waterfront, Besse Park, The Narrows Restaurant, new coffee shop, brewery. Boaters could tie up and then enjoy lunch at The Narrows Restaurant.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will perform the work through funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed in November 2021. The project is in the beginning stages and could take up to three-years time to complete.
