Posted on February 6, 2025
First time since 2020 the port authority has organized dredging at the marina
Boat owners who lease slips closest to the Kitsuksis Creek bridge were no doubt relieved to see a dredging barge at Clutesi Haven Marina at the end of January 2025.
The Port Alberni Port Authority hired the barge and excavation team from B. Berry Enterprises and Timberrose Tug and Barge to help deal with silt building up where the Kitsuksis Creek empties into the Somass River at the marina.
The last time dredging took place was in January 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, PAPA vice-president of operations Mike Carter said.
“All the silt and sediment that comes down from Kitsuksis Creek settles at the mouth of the marina basin. It plagues us,” Carter said. “It’s something we live with.”
Dredging is usually done every three to six years; this time it was a little longer in between than it has been in the recent past, he said.
“In previous years we had different methods. When I started 16 years ago it was done from the (Highway 4) bridge.”
The Port Authority contractors would have to arrange to close the highway, re-route traffic and have the work completed at night because of the volume of traffic. The pedestrian bridge would also have to be removed. “It was quite a big ordeal.”
A dozen or so years ago they tried bringing in a barge. They had to remove some of the floats in order to bring in the barge because the area is narrow.
“The last time there was a mini barge in town that we were able to utilize (from a different company). It’s a much cleaner, much slicker operation with much less infrastructure removal,” Carter said.
The silt had built up to the point it was only about eight feet deep and some of the boats weren’t able to access their slips during low tides. Dredging can only be done during certain fisheries windows, and last week crews had to work with the tides.
