By Associated Press - Friday, March 24, 2017

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi officials are warning boaters to stay away from a newly formed island south of Pascagoula that is made of dredged materials and can give way, even though the surface appears to be solid.

The Sun Herald (https://bit.ly/2mYTh9d) reports the island’s crust can give way and drop a person through to soft material beneath that one engineer described as “like quicksand.”

The island, for now called the Round Island Marsh Restoration project, is in a phase of marsh creation that will make it hazardous as the interior material dries out. It could take two years before it’s ready for public use.



The state formed the 220-acre island to restore the footprint Round Island had centuries ago. In the 1800s, it was 130 acres. Today it is closer to 25.

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Information from: The Sun Herald, https://www.sunherald.com

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