Posted on June 26, 2024
The Dredge Potter, owned and operated by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District, has begun the dredging season along the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. They started in the Grafton area and will clear out the channel up there before moving on to the Perry Island area, which is also near Grafton.
The Dredge Potter is a 92-year-old vessel that scoops up the sand, silt, and clay from the river bottom and transfers it out of the navigation channel. Janet Meredith, Public Relations coordinator with the USACE tells The Big Z their schedule is set for now but could always change.
In 2023, drought conditions required the crew and then 92-year-old vessel to move 6.3 million cubic yards of sand, silt, and clay from the river bottom at 31 different locations.
To stay up-to-date on dredging operations, check the weekly navigation channel condition status reports online at: https://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation/Status-Reports/
