Photo By Brandon Hubbard | The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Detroit District will begin dredging St....... read more read more
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Detroit District will begin dredging 29,500 cubic yards of shoaling near the entrance to St. Joseph Harbor this week and conclude in late August.
USACE maintains about 1.5 miles of federal navigation channel to a depth of up to 21 feet in the harbor entrance and river channel, as well as 18 feet in the turning basin. About 40,000 cubic yards of shoaling have been removed annually from the mouth of the St. Joseph River, which allows access for the U.S. Coast Guard and larger commercial vessels.
The King Company, of Holland, Mich., is contracted to complete the $693,000 project funded from the 2024 Fiscal Year President’s Budget (PBUD).
USACE removed about 20,000 cubic yards in 2022 and 102,000 cubic yards in 2023 from the harbor.
“St. Joseph Harbor is a critical southern port in the Great Lakes Navigation System and dredging it is an important part of our annual maintenance program,” said Liz Newell Wilkinson, the operations manager at the Grand Haven Office of the USACE, Detroit District. “We thank the public for their patience as we work to keep the harbor safe and open.”
Dredging material will be placed for beach nourishment at the state-permitted area south of Park Street and extending southward 3,000 feet, through Lions Park, to the Water Filtration Plant.
The public is asked to avoid active dredging and placement locations during the work, as well as any areas marked with orange cones and caution tape.
While the pumped material has been tested to ensure clean and safe placement on the beach, the pipes and the outfall of sand at the beach create quicksand-like conditions during active pumping.
Bulldozers and other heavy machinery will also be used to grade the new material into place on the beach.
The Detroit District, established in 1841, encompasses 3,150 miles of shoreline and 81 harbors and channels joining lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, St. Clair and Erie. In addition, the district boundaries cover projects and regulatory oversight throughout Michigan and portions of Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
| Date Taken: | 07.30.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.30.2024 15:26 |
| Story ID: | 477380 |
| Location: | ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN, US |
| Hometown: | ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 70 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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Army Corps of Engineers
