Posted on October 5, 2020
ASHTABULA — The Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, is planning a ceremony to mark the signing of a project partnership agreement with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
The ceremony will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Ashtabula Port Authority public docks, 498-400 Morton Drive, across the street from Briquettes Smokehouse in the Ashtabula Harbor.
The ceremony will celebrate the partnership between the two agencies for the creation of seven acres of submerged aquatic habitat at the port.
“Projects like this are extremely important now that open lake dumping of dredging materials is no longer an option,” Ashtabula City Manager Jim Timonere said. “We must keep the river dredged for both commercial and recreational activities, and finding beneficial uses for the materials, like this project and the funding it provides, will benefit both our environment and the local economy.”
Attendees at the ceremony will include U.S. Rep. David Joyce, State Senator Sean O’Brien, representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers, as well as local and state officials.
?The partnership agreement, a legally binding agreement between the government and a non-federal sponsor for construction of a water resources project, will be funded under the Continuing Action Program, Section 204 of the 1992 water resources management.
This authority evaluates the use of dredged material from new or existing federal projects in connection with dredging for construction, operation or maintenance of an authorized navigation projects. The dredged material can be beneficially reused to protect, restore or create aquatic and ecologically related habitats, including wetlands, to reduce storm damage to property,
This project is a companion project of an on-going operations and maintenance project and will help diminish confined disposal storage volumes.
Feasibility phase is 100 percent funded with federal capital. Design and implementation phase is cost-shared 65 percent federal and 35 percent non-federal.
Ashtabula City Council President John Roskovics said he’s glad and appreciative of any efforts to improve the health of the Ashtabula River.
“The river is such a vital part of our harbor area. I’m excited to see it continuing to receive attention,” he said. “Efforts to help our river will pay big dividends for our area’s growth.”
Source: starbeacon
