Connecticut's environmental commissioner, Rob Klee, has endorsed a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plan to continue dumping dredged materials into areas of Long Island Sound. Those materials, like silt, are dredged by the corps from Connecticut waterways to keep them navigable.
Along with dumping some of the dredged materials into the Sound, the 30-year draft plan also suggests other ways to get rid of it, like recycling the dredged materials, and using it to fortify beaches, or restore marshes.
Long Island politicians want the Corps to stop dumping the materials into Long Island Sound. On Monday, they said they were worried the dredged materials could pollute the Sound.
But a spokesperson for Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said dredged materials are only recycled or dumped if environmental tests say it’s safe to do so.
The Corps released its draft plan on Monday. The plan examines how to handle 53 million cubic yards of material over the next 30 years.
