Posted on April 18, 2017
By Kabir Bhatia, wksu
The Cuyahoga River is being dredged by the Army Corps of Engineers once again, and as WKSU’s Kabir Bhatia reports, the Port of Cleveland says communication will be key to keeping the shipping channel clear in the future.
A long-running dispute between the Army Corps and the port over where to dispose of dredged material was resolved last year. Since then, the upper channel near ArcelorMittal was partially dredged in December. And now, the lower channel – near Lake Erie – is being dealt with. In the past, the entire channel would be dredged twice a year, but now sections will be done at the Army Corps’ discretion.
Port of Cleveland Vice President Jade Davis says the two sides need to stay in communication to ensure that ships can pass through the Cuyahoga River without issues.
“It’s our goal and hope that the entire river is dredged properly, that the entire river is maintained properly. And that all the dredged material is properly handled and stored.”
Davis says they expect the Army Corps to keep the entire 6-mile channel clear, since the Cuyahoga River is used for more than just cargo ships.
“The rowing community and recreational community, you have all that stuff leading up over by Irishtown Bend and Merwin’s Wharf [Restaurant]. Then you also have other docks with stone and petrochemicals and things like that – other aggregates that folks are using in the supply chain throughout the region.”
Davis adds that the 1-mile area near ArcelorMittal will likely be re-dredged this year, since the process was interrupted in December due to equipment failure and bad weather.
Source: wksu
