Posted on February 9, 2021
Federal funds have been allocated to perform a major dredging project in Fairport Harbor.
U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce recently announced that the Fairport Harbor dredging initiative and several other projects critical to Northeast Ohio and the Great Lakes are included in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Work Plan for fiscal year 2021.
Joyce is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
“As someone who has lived my whole life in Northeast Ohio, I am honored to have the opportunity to fight for the Great Lakes in Congress,” said Joyce, R-Bainbridge Township, in a news release.
The Army Corps’ latest work plan earmarks $1.42 million for dredging of the federal navigational channel in Fairport Harbor. The channel goes from within the Grand River to just beyond two breakwaters in Lake Erie.
Knowing that funding has been secured for this project comes as good news to Fairport Harbor Village, Mayor Timothy Manross said.
“The harbor plays a key role in the local economy, and keeping this critical channel navigable and well-maintained will clear the way for job creation and economic development, and will support our partnerships with business entities as we develop our waterfront and move forward with our landside development,” he said.
As a waterway, Fairport Harbor is classified as a deep-draft commercial harbor with authorized depths of 25 feet in the outer harbor and 18 to 24 feet in the Grand River. About 150,000 cubic yards of sediment must be dredged from the harbor every one to two years to provide safe navigation for commercial vessels.
Operational dredging last took place in 2019, after the Army Corps awarded a $1.13 million contract to Luedtke Engineering Co. Terms of the contract called for the Luedtke, of Frankfort, Michigan, to dredge about 180,000 cubic yards of sediment material from throughout Fairport Harbor’s navigational channel, according to a 2019 Army Corps news release.
Project depths were 25 feet in the entrance and outer harbor, 24 feet in the lower river, 21 feet in the upper river, and 18 feet in the turning basin, the 2019 news release stated.
About 1.6 million tons of commodities, including limestone, sand and gravel, and salt, are shipped and received through Fairport Harbor on an annual basis, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. That shipping activity generates $85 million in direct revenue and 1,685 jobs that produce personal income totaling more than $109 million every year.
