The town of Oak Bluffs has made an arrangement with the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) that will allow dredging in Sengekontacket Pond to take place this fall. The town has agreed to pay for an archeological survey of the site.

The dredging project is backed by a joint committee of Oak Bluffs and Edgartown officials who want to see the pond reopened for shellfishing year-round.

Bacteria counts recorded in 2007 by the Division of Marine Fisheries found high levels of coliform bacteria, automatically triggering a three-year closure for shellfishing from June though September. Last winter a large dredging project was completed on the Edgartown side of Sengekontacket, also known as Anthier’s Pond.

The project on the Oak Bluffs side of the pond appeared to be on track for this fall after the town navigated a maze of state and federal permitting requirements that accompany most dredge projects.

But questions surfaced last month when it was revealed that a piece of wood that might be part of an old Wampanoag fishing weir was found during the dredging on the Edgartown side of the pond last winter.

Oak Bluffs selectman Duncan Ross and town administrator Michael Dutton both said at a public meeting that the discovery of the item could trigger a 180-day review period by the Army Corps of Engineers, which would force the town to delay the project until next year.

Since then Oak Bluffs leaders met with spokesmen for the Army Corps and the tribe and learned that the 180-review period will not be necessary.

At a joint Oak Bluffs and Edgartown meeting this week, Oak Bluffs shellfish constable Dave Grunden said the tribe supports the dredging as long as the archeological survey is done.

Mr. Grunden said the town is considering several firms to perform the survey, at an estimated cost of $28,000. “I think we have a new working relationship with the tribe. They want to work with us,” Mr. Grunden said.

Oak Bluffs had planned to start dredging on Oct. 1 and finish by Jan. 15, the start of winter flounder spawning season when dredging is prohibited. The project will dredge a channel between the Big and Little Bridges, removing some 57,000 cubic yards of sand.

Bettina Washington, Wampanoag historic preservation officer, said the tribe never intended to delay the dredging project and was simply following the guidelines of the National Preservation Act when they reported the discovery of the item to the Army Corps.

“This idea we are against the town doesn’t make any sense. Remember our ancestors didn’t have town boundaries, they were just using the pond . . . we are just trying to take steps to protect something that could be part of the entire Island’s history . . . not just the tribe or the town,” she said, adding:

“Remember we have tribal members who live in Oak Bluffs, and they too want to see the pond reopen [for shellfishing].”