American Construction Company, contracted by the Army Corps, has started maintenance dredging operations in the Coos Bay harbor from River Miles twelve to fifteen.
According to the Port of Coos Bay, maintenance dredging work will be performed continuously, 24 hours per day and 7 days per week, and is scheduled to be completed October 31, 2020.
It is estimated that approximately 1,000,000 cubic yards of material will be removed from the channel and placed offshore at Ocean Disposal Site H.
For the project, the contractor will utilize the clamshell dredge “The Patriot” to load two split hull scows, the “Liberty” and the “Freedom”.
The Coos Bay Federal Navigation Channel is 15.1 miles long from the mouth of the bay to its furthest reach. The authorized depth of the channel is currently -37’ Mean Lowest Low Water (MLLW), and its authorized nominal width is 300’.
The last dredging project in this section of the Federal Navigation Channel was conducted throughout the summer of 2019. This section of the Upper Bay spans from the Oregon Chip Terminal to the Georgia Pacific Sawmill site.
Prior to the dredging work that took place in 2019, this section of the channel had not been dredged since 2010.