Connecticut’s entire Congressional delegation on Wednesday sent a letter to Lt. Gen. Tom Bostick, commanding general and chief of engineers of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in support of the recently released draft plan for managing dredge materials from Long Island Sound.

The seven-member delegation, which includes Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, and Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, said the plan identifies “environmentally sound alternatives” such as beach nourishment and wetlands restoration, where silt and sand from dredging projects can be used.

They noted that as a state with 332 miles of coastline, coves and harbors, keeping waterways unclogged is essential to the state’s economy.

“In addition to the critical goal of protecting the Long Island Sound, access to a range of dredged material placement options is absolutely vital to our state’s economy — and that of the entire Long Island Sound region,” the letter states. “If this dredging plan does not move forward, it is estimated that the region will see a 15 percent dip in navigation-dependent economic activity revenue in the next two decades, and significant — and perhaps prohibitive — increases in costs for the private, commercial and federal stakeholders.”

The Army Corps opened a public comment period on the draft plan in August, extending it through Oct. 5. Comments may be directed to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District (ATTN: LIS DMMP/PEIS Program Manager Meghan Quinn), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751.