WELLS — After several years of planning, the dredge of the Wells Harbor and the entryway into the harbor is complete.

From October of last year through Jan. 6 when the dredge was completed, approximately 140,000 cubic yards of sandy sediment was removed from the harbor, said Harbormaster Chris Mayo.

According to the federal government website, fbo.gov, the area of the harbor that was dredged included the 8-foot entrance channel, a 6-foot inner harbor channel, a 6-foot anchorage, and an approximately 8-foot-deep settling basin, which is between the jetties.

At the same time, the town dredged about 20,000 cubic yards of sand from two mooring basins.

The extracted material was used to replenish Wells Beach and the beach at Drakes Island.

Mayo said he’s pleased with the end result. Southwind Construction Corp. of Evanston, Ind., the company that conducted the dredge, “did a fantastic job,” he said, adding that “the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did a good job overseeing.”

On Sept. 30, after a competitive bidding process, the Army Corps selected Southwind to conduct the work.

The cost was approximately $3.5 million. The majority of the cost was paid by the federal government; the town’s share was $525,000.

According to Mayo, the planning for this major dredge began in 2006-07.

Although there have been minor dredges at the harbor in between, said Town Manager Jonathan Carter, the last major dredge was in 2000.

Minor dredges, when about 10,000 cubic yards of sandy sediment was removed each time, took place in 2002, 2005 and 2012, he said.

There is still more work to be done before any boats can set up at the harbor.

Mayo said the harbor infrastructure, which was removed to allow the dredging to take place, must be replaced. He said he is working to set up a time for this with Maritime Construction and Engineering, hired by the town to both remove and replace the infrastructure at a cost of $226,000.

“If all goes well,” said Mayo, this work should be completed by April 1, the time when some of the commercial vessels that port in Wells Harbor would be looking to put their boats in the water.

Currently, said Mayo, there are about 10 lobster boats and the same number of charter fishing vessels that dock in Wells Harbor. The rest of the moorings and slips, approximately 80 permitted spaces total, are used by recreational vessels.

At one time, he said, there were close to 40 commercial vessels that used the harbor, but about half that number left because of the “degradation” of the harbor.

“We’re hoping to see more commercial activity,” he said because of the improvements and the greater number of slots for boats. With the improvements made to the harbor and dredge work, there will between 140-150 permitted spaces this year.

In the future, said Mayo, “I’d like to see the harbor maintained a little bit better.”

The problem with regular maintenance, he said, is that although there is a trust fund to cover the costs of harbor dredging throughout the country, there isn’t enough money to cover the need.

In addition, most of the money is funneled to larger harbors, so small harbors like the one in Wells are a lower funding priority.

Mayo said he hopes to keep the lines of communication open between the town and the Army Corps of Engineers so that when maintenance is needed it can be addressed more swiftly, and there will be less need for a major dredge in the future.

Carter said he plans to request that the Army Corps conduct a minor dredge next year.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or [email protected].