Popponesset Bay Dredging Project Completed

Sand Shifter heading into anchorage. Photo/Barnstable County

Poppy Spit looking west. Photo/Barnstable County

A large dredging project on Cape Cod nicknamed the “Big Dig” was recently completed in Popponesset Bay.

The dredging project in Mashpee was completed on Friday, December 5. Officials with the Barnstable County Dredge Department said it was the largest project undertaken by the department since its formation 30 years ago.

The project began in mid-September and used both of the county’s dredgers, Cod Fish II and Sand Shifter, each working in separate sections of the channel. The estimated total volume dredged was roughly 55,000 cubic yards.

All dredged material was placed on Poppy Spit, where it was used to rebuild the beach and strengthen coastal protection.

The work didn’t end when the dredging stopped. Crews still had to navigate Sand Shifter back inside Popponesset Bay after the final channel cut, maneuvering against a strong outgoing tide. The video below captures their efforts to navigate Sand Shifter in challenging conditions.