Dockside canal dredging in Charlotte County is a topic that often comes with my customers that have deeper draft boats. Sailboats, of course top the list for deeper water at dockside. But trawlers, sportfish boats and larger cruisers can draft considerable water depth as well.
There are distinctly different dredging considerations in Charlotte County depending on whether your property is located in the City of Punta Gorda, specifically the neighborhoods of Punta Gorda Isles (PGI) or Burnt Store Isles (BSI) VERSUS the county outside of the city limits.
PGI and BSI dredging is the simplest and most cost effective. Basically, the city has identified one contractor to handle dredging in the isles. Marine Contracting Group is the point of contact if you have a dredging need; 941-505-0221. If you need a dredge project at your dock, you contact them and they will have the dredging team meet with you and discuss your needs. There are NO permits required with the state or county. The cost of dredging is $265.50 per hour which includes the muck and dredge material removal. So the charge is for the entire time the dredge and associated barges are in operation to remove the material from your dock and then re-deposit in designated areas within the Isles canal systems. This may seem odd and is a recent change where dredging material used to be relocated inland. Apparently, the Army Corp of Engineers got involved and has determined that canal flow in both Punta Gorda Isles and Burnt Store Isles will be improved if there is a more uniform, consistent water depth. There are prescribed locations by the corp of engineers where the canal water depths are excessively deep. I can vouch for the fact that there are many areas over 20 feet deep most often in the larger basin areas. The thought is reducing water depth in these locations will improve flow. Seems to make sense to me but it will certainly impact aquatic life that has resided in these areas for the past 50 years. The cost of private dredging is reasonably inexpensive because the muck and silt removed from the bottom is moved from the barge and re-deposited back into a neighboring canal system without the need for hauling inland and trucking away.
Dredging in county water is a whole different story. First, you must apply for the appropriate permits to dredge. You must also identify a vacant lot where the lot owner cooperates with the depositing of the dredge materials on their lot. Once the lot has been identified, the lot must be assigned the name of a designated spoil site, which I believe is part of the permitting process. These steps are probably not as difficult as it sounds it you find a cooperative land owner.
Once the dredge materials have been deposited on the lot, then the material is trucked to a pre-determined spoil site. The cost of doing a private dredge for just a single home becomes very expensive. The most cost effective way to handle this is if you can get a group of neighbors that all need a private dredge, identify a neighbor that is willing to allow their lot to be used and then the costs of moving the material around via barge and then by truck on land is shared by the group of neighbors wanting dredged.
There are 350 miles of navigable waterways in Charlotte County. In PGI there are 91 miles of seawall and 18 miles in BSI which is included in the 350 miles of waterways. Fortunately, the majority of time the depths at your dock are satisfactory and the cost and concern for dredging goes away. This is certainly something of high priority for me to guide my customers to homes and land that are right for their boat.
