Posted on March 13, 2024
Dredging of the Muskegon Channel that is underway and expected to last until the end of June will supplement the beach at Pere Marquette.
Dredging to remove about 133,000 cubic yards of sediment began on Friday, March 8, according to a press release from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Operations are expected to conclude at the end of June.
The dredged material will be placed on 3,000 feet of beach at Pere Marquette near the City of Muskegon’s water filtration plant, according to the press release.
Spring shoaling – shifting sand and stone sediment due to wave action – caused two ship groundings in the area during the past two years, the press release notes.
“This early dredging project is an important effort to keep harbors free from winter shoaling and keep commercial business flowing efficiently without delay,” said Liz Newell Wilkinson, Grand Haven Resident Office resident engineer for the Army Corps.
The project is expected to cost about $800,000, according to the Army Corps.
The King Company Inc. from Holland has been contracted to dredge outside the Muskegon outer channel, according to a U.S. Coast Guard notice. The Dredge Barry J. is conducting hydraulic dredging 24 hours a day seven days a week, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Dredge pipe will be on the lake floor and marked by orange round buoys every 500 feet. White buoys will indicate anchor locations.
During rough seas, a bright yellow pipe pontoon will be floating outside the channel, marked with two flashing lights on each night that are illuminated at night.
The Kaye E. Barker became stuck in the harbor in 2022, prompting early dredging of the harbor. The 767-foot freighter got stuck in the channel last year as well, requiring emergency dredging, according to a notice from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Historically, the harbor required dredging every 3 to 5 years, but now it requires annual maintenance, according to the Army Corps.
