Dredging Strategy and Plan

Dredging Strategy and Plan for 2024

The Town has been dredging for many years and it continues to be one of the highest priorities to support lake operations and recreation. After analyzing dredging operations past and present, the Town has decided to take a broader, more holistic approach to our methodology. The Town plans to hire an experienced Civil Engineering firm to oversee permitting and development of a strategic plan and design to better address the Town's dredging needs.

The Town received a dredging grant through the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality in 2023.  These funds have been extended through December 2024 to support the development of this strategic approach.  The Town will direct the Civil Engineering firm selected to scope the project out and delineate what can be covered through this grant. 

An engineering presentation on dredging is scheduled for Wednesday, February 27, 2024 at the 8:30 AM Town Council Workshop Meeting.  Additional information will be provided as soon as the Civil Engineer has been selected. 

Dredging Strategy and Plan for 2022-2023

Goal: The 2022-2023 Town of Lake Lure dredging plan seeks to remove silt accumulated on the west end of the Lake to allow for safe navigation of waterborne vessels into the Town Marina Cove, Firefly Cove, and the Rocky Broad inlet channel within the Lake boundary. Additionally, sedimentation removal will be prioritized in areas that reduce river inlet velocity to promote future sedimentation in areas that are readily accessible. 

Background: A hydrodynamic flow and sedimentation analysis of the Rocky Broad inlet channel was conducted by flow dynamic engineers; Mr. Tim Shellenberger, Ati Manay, and Bruce Hotton in February of 2021 (ref a). The engineers concluded that sedimentation removal from the easternmost tip of Morse Park to the Firefly Cove plateau will create a low water flow area that will help prevent sedimentation from traveling deep into the main channel where dredging is difficult and costly. Shallow depths in this area also present the greatest challenge to operating watercraft. Opening the mouth of the river inlet channel (by excavating a portion of Morse Park) will further reduce flow velocity, but was deemed to be impractical. Sedimentation removal in the inlet channel along the Morse Park border and within the Lake boundary should be limited to a narrow navigation channel because extensive sedimentation removal in the river approach inlet was shown to have little to no effect on flow velocity.  

Discussion: To maximize Lake availability for summer recreational activities and to minimize financial impact on local businesses, the dredging season will begin in March 2022 after the Lake returns to full pond and continue throughout 2022/2023 until Memorial Day 2023 with the exceptions of holidays and heavy boating times.

Two forms of dredging will be applied. Hydraulic dredging (preferred) affords the greatest flexibility -and- excavation dredging (alternate) requires dry sedimentation conditions and special equipment access within the Lake-bed to accomplish. A hybrid system using both methods simultaneously may be appropriate under certain conditions. 

Based on the engineering study and consistent with the availability of dredge grant funds, contractor services, and dredging equipment, the following plan will be implemented.

1) Priority Dredging: Main channel navigation in the vicinity of the Town Marina, Firefly Cove, and designated navigation channels. Saturday and Sunday dredging during the designated periods is authorized. 

a) Hydraulic dredge (Near Full Pond Condition)

i. Period: March 2022 – Memorial Day May 2023 

ii. Rocky Broad Inlet channel vicinity eastern tip of Morse Park

iii. Navigable portion of Marina Cove inlet channel

iv. Main channel to the vicinity of Firefly Cove

b) Excavate -or- hybrid dredge (Drawdown Condition)

i. Period: December 2022 – March 2023 (Lake Drawdown Period)

While the lake is drawn down for maintenance, dredging will switch from hydraulic to excavation. If the scheduled drawdown is deemed to be a shorter period of time, hydraulic dredging will resume when the lake reaches full pond. 

ii. Inlet channel vicinity eastern tip of Morse Park

iii. Main channel to vicinity of Firefly Cove

c) (Conditional) Hydraulic dredge 

i. Period: As necessary

ii. Anywhere within the Lake boundary to ensure safe navigation as necessary due to excessive sedimentation caused by storm events or the discovery of shallow hazards not previously identified. 

2) Funding: The Town has budgeted $1,000,000 for the Calendar year 2022.

a) North Carolina awarded Lake Lure a $750.000 dredging grant with a town match of $250,000 that may be applied by December 31, 2022  

b) Town currently has $64,265 in a silt reserve fund.

​Reference (a): Power-point Briefing entitled Broad River Lake Lure CFD dtd 2/9/2021

Note: This plan was approved at the 3/8/22 Town Council Meeting.