Heart Miller Island

Heart Miller Island was designed as a facility to process and place dredge material removed from the shipping channel of the Chesapeake Bay. The material is removed from the bottom of the bay and placed on barges. the barges transfer the material to Heart Miller Island where it is pumped using pressurized water to specific points on the island. DNR began this project in 1981 when Heart Island and Miller Island were connected with a sandy beach. At this time the dikes were built around the 1x2 mile area that is the island today. The dikes were raised to 28 feet in 1988 and then to 44 feet in 1997. The South Cell is approximately 290 acres and contains 16 million cubic yards of dredge material. Today this cell no longer receives dredge material and is currently a self sustaining habitat for many species. The North Cell is approximately 750 acres and has a capacity of100 million cubic yards.