Greece plans dredging and long-term maintenance of the Braddock Bay navigation channel

As part of the ongoing revitalization of Braddock Bay, the Town of Greece has planned spring 2025 dredging and long-term maintenance of the navigation channel between the bay and Lake Ontario. The first phase of the plan is already complete with the purchase of a new hydraulic dredge, which arrived at Westpoint Marina the week of February 10. The dredge will be owned and operated by the town’s partner, Westpoint Marina LLC, who is under contract to run the marina and keep the channel clear.

The news is the latest turn of events in a 10-year effort to revitalize Braddock Bay and the town’s 300-slip public marina located there. Braddock Bay had long been plagued by environmental degradation and unpredictable access to Lake Ontario for recreational boaters. Prior discussions with state and federal agencies had languished, and by 2013 the town’s marina was largely empty and in serious disrepair.

Then in 2014, newly elected Greece Town Supervisor Bill Reilich made a commitment to revitalize Braddock Bay, stating at the time, “Braddock Bay’s unique mix of significant habitat and recreational boating opportunities is the focal point of the town’s waterfront area.” With the support of elected officials, a new effort was underway to identify funding and partnerships to assist in restoring Braddock Bay’s ecology and recreational benefits. By 2016, work had begun on the $10M EPA-funded Braddock Bay Wetland Restoration Project, which was a coordinated effort between the Town of Greece, NYSDEC (NYS Department of Environmental Conservation), and USEPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), designed to prevent further loss of critical wetland habitat while at the same time restoring lake access for recreational boating. The project included construction of a new barrier island in the mouth of the bay and excavation of a new navigation channel, among other improvements.

With the new navigation channel in place by 2017, the town would go on to completely revitalize the marina, including new floating docks, a fueling station, a new seawall, a parking lot expansion and utility improvements, and, most recently, the addition of a sanitary pump-out station. In 2016, prior to this effort, the town’s marina had just 26 slips rented out. By 2022 that number had increased over ten-fold to more than 270. Dredging the navigation channel is critical to the marina’s ongoing success.

State permits are already in place for 2025 and the town has been coordinating with NYSDEC throughout the winter. Dredging is set to begin in early March and be completed by early April in time for boating season.

“Maintaining the dredge equipment at Braddock Bay will allow Westpoint Marina to keep the navigation channel clear with more reliability and without the added cost and uncertainty of mobilizing a subcontractor,” said Supervisor Reilich, “With this investment, and with a fully revitalized marina, recreational boating is here to stay in Braddock Bay and the Town of Greece.”

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