Days after a powerful nor’easter pounded Ocean City’s beaches, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Baltimore District announced Tuesday that it has awarded a $25.7 million contract for the “renourishment” of its beaches.
The corps said in a news release Tuesday that it had allocated the money to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co. The Houston-based contractor is the leading provider of dredging services in the country. The company will begin work in late 2026 or early 2027 and finish before next Memorial Day, according to the release.
“We are aware of the significant erosion in Ocean City following this weekend’s storm and are working with our local and state partners to ensure continued risk reduction throughout the region,” said Col. Francis Pera, the corps’ Baltimore District commander.
The storm caused powerful waves that pulled sand from the beaches offshore. Replenishing the beaches will involve taking 982,000 cubic yards of sand from an offshore sandbank called Weaver Shoal, the release said.
This work is a part of the beach’s routine maintenance, but the timing of the storm will allow officials to directly address the recent damage.
The Corps’ Baltimore District team also plans to visit the site this week to inspect any potential damage to Ocean City’s coastal infrastructure.
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The project, which is jointly funded by the Corps, Maryland and local governments, comes after a brief delay. Ocean City had planned to bring in new sand in the fall and winter of 2025, but Congress hadn’t authorized funding at the time.
Since the early 1990s, the Army Corps has sought to replenish Ocean City’s beaches — a process known as “beach nourishment” — every four years. The work is designed to compensate for the natural erosion while guarding the vacation community’s valuable waterfront development against flooding and storm surges.
Adam Willis contributed to this report.
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