Posted on September 18, 2023
Dredging of the federal navigation channel in Sandusky Harbor by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District and its contractor, Michigan-based The King Co., Inc., will begin Sunday, Sept. 17.
Recreational boaters who routinely use the channel should take caution and be aware of changes within the channel marked by buoys. Boaters are asked to go slow and stay away from marine equipment, stay clear of the contractor’s temporary pipeline, and stay out of the perimeter of the sediment placement area.
Dredging will focus on the harbor’s Upper Bay Channel and is scheduled to take place 24 hours per day through the end of October, though the work could be completed sooner.
The USACE Buffalo District awarded a $1.38 million contract for the work on June 22, 2023. A total of approximately 140,000 cubic yards of material is contracted to be hydraulically dredged from the federal navigation channel and placed in the Cedar Point Causeway Wetland Project site using a temporary submerged pipeline.
The pipeline will be marked with orange round buoys every 500 feet. A Notice to Mariners has been issued through the U.S. Coast Guard by The King Co. and advises boaters to stay clear of the buoys and the pipeline.
Vessels crossing the lower straight, in need of a lot of draft, are asked to look for 49 inch red and green floating buoys. The pipeline is 18” above the depth reported by a vessel’s sounder.
Sandusky Harbor is a deep draft commercial harbor and an important hub along the Great Lakes-Seaway Marine Highway, supporting $129.2 million in business revenue, 572 direct, indirect, and induced jobs, and $42.7 million in labor income to the transportation sector. From 2015 to 2019, it handled an average of nearly 2.5 million tons of cargo.
Dredging of Sandusky Harbor is normally conducted by USACE every year and is subject to the availability of funding. Dredging ensures federally authorized depths are maintained and the harbor remains accessible to large vessels for the continued flow of commodities. It is critical to the economy of Ohio, the Great Lakes region, and the United States.
The Buffalo District delivers world class engineering solutions to the Great Lakes Region, the Army and the Nation in order to ensure national security, environmental sustainability, water resource management, and emergency assistance during peace and war.
