Photo By AnnMarie Harvie | USACE New England District contractor, AGM Marine Contractors, perform dredging operations in the Narraguagus River. The project was completed ahead of schedule and within budget. see less
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Successful dredging of Narraguagus River ensures safe passage for boaters
MILBRIDGE, Maine -- An important New England waterway just got a much-needed dredging.
Work on the Narraguagus River Federal Navigation Project (FNP) completed March 16, ahead of the March 31 schedule and within budget.
The Narraguagus River FNP is in Milbridge, Maine and is an important waterway in the area that plays a key role in supporting the local maritime economy.
“The Narraguagus River FNP supports a range of users, including commercial fishing aquaculture vessels, and seasonal recreation boating,” said Project Manager Coral Siligato.
Work for the $5.6 million contract consisted of dredging about 147,000 cubic yards of silty material. That’s enough to fill 45 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The material was placed at the Douglas Island Disposal site, about two and a half miles from the project area.
“The contractor, AGM Marine Contractors out of New Bedford, Massachusetts mobilized their equipment and began work in November 2025, maintaining steady dredging production throughout the project,” said Siligato. “The work was completed well within the April 15, 2026, environmental window.”
Siligato credited good working relationships and strong collaboration among the contractor, the USACE team, partners and stakeholders for the project’s success.
“AGM Marine Contractors, a small business, has worked on USACE projects before, and this was their first time as a prime contractor for us,” she said. “They performed exceptionally well in their first project as a prime contractor with us, particularly given the challenges of winter weather and remote site conditions in Downeast Maine.”
Siligato said the District maintained full-time construction oversight and integrated its Survey Section into weekly coordination meetings.
“This approach allowed for quick responses to survey needs and kept work moving with minimal delays. The survey team’s responsiveness was critical to maintain progress and the completion prior to the end of the environmental window.”
Project partners included the town of Milbridge, Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Narraguagus River FNP was last dredged in 2010. During that dredging work, 70,844 cubic yards of material (about 22 Olympic size pools) were dredged from portions of the 11-foot channel, 11-ft West Anchorage and 6-ft Upper Southwest Anchorage. That material was also placed off Douglas Island.
“Maintenance dredging needs are driven by shoaling rates within the FNP, which USACE monitors through routine condition surveys” said Siligato. “These surveys help us determine when dredging is necessary.”
Dredging removes accumulated sediment that reduces dimensions of channels, anchorages and other features– including depths and widths, according to Siligato.
“Timely maintenance dredging restores the project to authorized dimensions and supports safe navigation for all commercial, recreational, and local users,” she said.
