Aerial shot of the 1st channel towards the the beach, in January 2017. Since then, the 1st channel has been completed and a 2nd is underway.

Almost Ready for Spring:

Since our last dredge update in January, we have essentially doubled our efforts with the amount of sand moved, and, we have now reached the beach.  We then turned the dredge around, and, are in the process of cutting a new channel back towards the Pond. This leaves a slice of sand, similar to a piece of pie, in between the two channels.

This secondary channel should be complete in about 10 days or so. GPF dredge crew, Tracy and Russ, implemented this two-channel operation very successfully a few years ago. When the cut to the ocean is made this way, all the water rushing out takes the “slice of pie” with it making it a bit of cost effective dredging by Mother Nature. Additionally, when we have done this in the past, the Pond stayed open for an extended period. The current plan is to cut the Pond in early to mid-March.  As always, the timing of the cut is dependent on a few factors, weather being one of them.

So far, thanks to fair weather, hard work by the crew, and a well-maintained dredge, the Pond is in good shape for an effective spring opening.