The city of Portland announced this afternoon that the Portland Waterfront dredging work is complete.  On the Portand side of the Fore River alone, over 10,000 linear feet of berthing has been deepened and restored.  That results in over 45,000 cubic yards (equivalent to 4,500 dump trucks) of material relocated to the CAD cell disposal site.

The project kicked off over the 2024-2025 winter with construction of the Confined Aquatic Disposal cell (CAD cell), located in the seafloor of the harbor, where dredged material would be deposited.  This step alone took years to design and complete and was crucial for dredging harbor material that could not be deposited on land.  With the CAD cell in place and ready to safely hold decades’ worth of sedimet, including contaminated sediments from decades before enviromental laws were in effect, dredging began in December 2025.

From the Maine State Pier and Ocean Gateway to all participatig piers in the central waterfront, Portland’s harbor has been dramatically improved for vessel activity and water dependent industries.  One bucket load at a time, the slips have regained their depth and decades of sediment buildup has been removed.

The second half of the project will take place next winter, 2026-2027, where the work will concentrate on South Portland marinas, the East End Beach recreational boat ramp and Maine Yacht Center.

“We’d like to express our thanks to all of the participating wharf owners for their cooperation throughout this project,” said Heather Moretti, the city of Portland’s waterfront coordinator.  “This dredging work highlights the goodwill ad cooperation found along the Portland waterfron community, which is critical.  For this season alone on the Portland waterfront, we have worked through 28 separate work areas — all requiring operational and infrascturcutre adjustments from vessel owners, pier tenants and pier managers”