Posted on June 10, 2024
SAUGATUCK — A project to dredge 68,000 cubic yards of sediment from Saugatuck Harbor, ensuring safe navigation between Lake Michigan and the Kalamazoo River, will begin next week.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, announced its plans for dredging the two-mile federal channel on Tuesday. Work is expected to be finished July 19, although the date is weather dependent.
The King Company, of Holland, is contracted for the work at $341,000. It recently completed a dredging in Muskegon. Crews will dredge the channel entrance to 16 feet below the low water datum — a point where the water level seldom falls below.
In addition to clearing routes for shipping and recreational navigation, dredging provides an opportunity to reinforce beaches with dredged material. Sand collected through the dredging will be placed along the shore for about a mile from the Saugatuck South Pier through Oval Beach.
“This project is a great example of using maintenance dredging as a vehicle to combat erosion and provide multiple positive outcomes for the community in Saugatuck,” wrote Liz Newell Wilkinson, operations manager at the Grand Haven Office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District. “We have worked with the state of Michigan to ensure this sediment is environmentally safe to nourish the Lake Michigan shoreline.”
The Corps of Engineers tested the sediment in Saugatuck, certifying it’s free of contaminants and safe for public health. Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, Energy has permitted the work.
Residents and visitors are asked to avoid the areas where active dredging and placement are happening. Signs and cones will be placed at worksites for their safety.
Nationally, dredged material is used for wetland enhancement, brownfield reconstruction and beach nourishment. The Corps of Engineers aims to use 70% of dredged material beneficially by 2030. Last year, 30-35% was used beneficially.
