Posted on August 15, 2016
By Gavin McIntyre, MLive
On a recent, breezy afternoon, an excavator just offshore from the mouth of the Kawkawlin River could be seen sweeping its arm through the waters and scooping material from the shallows.
It’s a good sight for boaters, because dredged waters offers safer passage and it prevents a buildup of rocks and sand that contribute to river flooding, said Bangor Township Treasurer Karie Wardynski.
After a nearly eight-month hiatus, the nearly $700,000 project to dredge the Saginaw Bay near the Kawkawlin River mouth resumed again late last month, said Russ Beaubien, project manager for the Spicer Group, the general contractor for the job. The job is funded with a $1.59 million state grant secured by Bangor Township.
Last year, weather delayed the dredging project, giving crews a late start and contributing to the project not being finished by the end of 2015, Beaubien said.
More than 8,000 cubic yards of clay, sand and rock were dredged last year, leaving about 5,000 more to go this summer, he said.
Weather permitting, Beaubien said, the project should wrap up within the next two weeks.
Glenn Rowley, the vice president of the Kawkawlin River Watershed Association and Democratic nominee for Bangor Township supervisor, said dredging the river is a boon for those with houses along the river.
A few years back, he said, the river was more shallow and allowed ice to dam up when the spring thaw came, flooding neighboring properties.
So not only is the recent dredging good to stave off the flooding, but also it creates deeper waters that attract tourists because of the greater ease of boating, he said.
The dredge spoils from the project are hauled about two miles further offshore to the Saginaw Bay Confined Disposal Facility, which is maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, he said.
Another dredging project is in the planning stages and should start next year, Wardynski said.
This second project would see the dredging of the Kawkawlin River itself and potentially remove downed trees in addition to regular dredge spoils, she said.
There’s no cost estimate of the second project yet, but Wardynski said she hopes Bangor Township can use the remaining state grant dollars earmarked for dredging to good use on the Kawkawlin River.
Source: MLive
