A significant regional intervention is currently underway at Fiumara Grande, where a long-awaited dredging operation at the mouth of the Tiber River is nearing completion. The project, managed by the Lazio Region, aims to restore safe navigation for boats by improving the waterway’s hydraulic functionality.
Approximately 70,000 cubic meters of sand have been identified for removal at the site. A dredging vessel has already extracted a large portion of this material, advancing nearly 400 meters inland from the river mouth. This has increased the water depth by roughly one meter in areas where shallow waters had previously posed a hazard to boat hulls.
In a statement, Lazio Regional Councillor for Patrimony, Fabrizio Ghera, emphasized the project’s importance: “The dredging of the Tiber’s mouth is an intervention that operators have been awaiting for years and will have a positive impact on navigating the river. Part of the dredged sand has been used for the replenishment of certain stretches at Ostia Ponente. This is a circular economy operation, as we are removing a critical issue by using the sand that was obstructing the river mouth to rebuild beaches affected by coastal erosion.”
This operation is the third recent initiative by the Lazio Region to combat coastal erosion. Other projects include the restoration of a submerged breakwater and the installation of a 350-meter protective barrier near the Ostia Rotonda and Kursaal area, which was heavily damaged by winter storms.
The current replenishment effort has brought approximately 220,000 cubic meters of sand to the beach area stretching from the Canale dei Pescatori southward, which includes 50,000 cubic meters specifically for Ostia Ponente. The dredging and replenishment work is being carried out by the “Gino Cucco,” a self-loading, self-discharging dredger with a 1,400 cubic meter hopper capacity. Additional sediment is slated to be taken from areas in front of Ostia’s port and the Canale dei Pescatori.