The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began maintenance dredging of the Nanticoke River's main channel in late January, 2012, stretching from approximately the Maryland-Delaware line eastward to the drawbridge at Seaford-Blades. Dredging was completed mid-February. This project, in various planning stages for more than a decade, restores the channel to a navigable depth of 12 feet, ensuring safe passage for barges that now have to limit their loads to traverse the waterway. The river was last dredged in 1990.
Sussex County was the local partner with the federal government in sponsoring this project. As the local governing authority, Sussex County was charged with providing a location for the more than 86,000 cubic yards of sand and silt set to be pulled from the river. It was deposited at the former Woodland Golf Park site near Woodland.