Long-delayed dredging of the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal might start in September if federal officials approve an agreement for funding, says nwitimes.com.
The plan’s approval is in the hands of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said Ellen Gregory, attorney for the waterway district.
The Indiana Harbor is located in East Chicago, Lake County, Indiana, on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan, 4-1/2 miles east of the Indiana-Illinois State line. Indiana Harbor has an entrance channel and outer harbor, and an inner harbor, which consists of the Indiana Harbor Canal and its two branches. The main channel extends from the E.J. & E. Railway Bridge to the Forks, a distance of 7,400 feet. From the Forks, the Lake George Branch of the Indiana Harbor extends west for a distance of 6,800 feet, and the Grand Calumet River Branch extends south for about 2 miles, where it joins the Grand Calumet River.
Dredging equipment awaits EPA approval to start working.
The plan includes removing of 400,000 cubic yards of sediment from the waterways each year of the project.
[mappress]
Dredging Today Staff, June 25, 2012; Image: usace