Construction moves forward in Tred Avon River oyster sanctuary

Oyster reef restoration in the Tred Avon River in Talbot County is one step closer to being completed.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, resumed construction of an oyster reef in the Tred Avon River Oyster Sanctuary on Wednesday.

The project had been halted in December 2015 for a review of the restoration process.

The plan for the oyster sanctuary is to restore 78 acres of depleted reefs while also planting juvenile spat-on-shell oysters at 69 acres of pre-existing low-density oyster reefs.

The restoration team includes the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Oyster Recovery Partnership, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

A $1 million contract was awarded back in September to Blue Forge LLC to construct the reef using aged mixed shell that will be placed over eight acres of river bottom. The Corps additionally signed a $700,000, five-year agreement with the Oyster Recovery Partnership to monitor constructed reefs in the Tred Avon sanctuary and nearby Harris Creek.

The Corps say constructed and restored reefs should not affect waterway navigation.