Grays Harbor maintenance dredging starts soon

Maintenance dredging works on the federal Grays Harbor Inner Harbor Navigation Channel are set to begin on January 4, 2021.

USACE awarded this three-year dredging contract to HME Construction, which was $4.2 million dollars for the first of three work windows.

Approximately 1.8 million cubic yards of material will be dredged via clamshell dredge from the channel over a period of roughly three years.

Roughly 600,000 cubic yards of material is expected to be dredged during each of three separate work windows. 

According to USACE, dredged material will be transported by barge to either the South Jetty or the Pt. Chehalis open water placement sites. 

The material has been tested, and USACE prepared a biological evaluation and National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) documentation in accordance with the Federal and State requirements. 

“The Corps assures full environmental compliance prior to starting, and potential impacts are avoided through implementing timing restrictions and dredging best management practices,” an official statement reads.

The dredging will run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and the first work window will be completed by February 14, 2021.