A harbor dredging operation carried out despite concerns from wildlife officials killed at least six loggerhead sea turtles in September – two in Savannah and four in Brunswick.
A possible seventh turtle was killed in Savannah, but recovered remains have not yet been confirmed as being a sea turtle.
The Army Corps of Engineers dredged the entrances to both the Savannah and Brunswick harbors for a total of 15 days using most of $6.8 million in federal stimulus funds meted out for the project. For both operations, the corps employed hopper dredges, whose suction arms vacuum up silt and send it through giant rotating blades.