After a year of applying for permission to dredge Eel Pond in Mattapoisett, the town got the final permit for the project; however, some feathered friends will hold up that process.

Town Administrator Mike Gagne said the plan was to dredge the pond in August to remove accumulated sand on the east channel that is hindering the tidal flushing and therefore the water quality of the pond.

The sand would then be spread on Goodspeed Beach for nourishment.

“It’s consistent in grain size and composition to what exists on the beach, which is not very far from the inlet,” said Gagne. “It probably came from that beach.”

A letter from the Natural Heritage Endangered Species Program is putting a hold on that project until the end of August.

“They feel that it is a habitat for piping plover,” said Gagne, at a Selectmen’s meeting on Wednesday, August 8.

Gagne and Selectmen agreed that waiting would be beneficial for beachgoers as well as the endangered birds.

The town plans to begin dredging at the beginning of September, and Gagne expects the project to be finished in under a week.