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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District has been busy recently dredging the Monongahela River between the towns of Elizabeth and Charleroi.
The dredging project consists of two dredging crews that have been working six days a week since mid-September 2024.
The crews have removed more than 314 barges of material so far, equivalent to 166,000 tons of soil, rocks and debris from the river bottom.
The contract aims to restore up to ten feet of depth along the Monongahela River in specific shallow areas to allow navigation industries to transport bulk commodities through the region.
The dredging work is necessary because the pool level dropped approximately two feet after the Pittsburgh District removed the navigation dam near Elizabeth, Pennsylvania in 2024.
Contractors expect dredging to continue into late spring and possibly summertime. Afterward, the Pittsburgh District will reassess the river’s conditions before deciding on the next steps.
Until then, the crews remain focused on their mission: ensuring the Monongahela River remains a navigable and vital artery for commerce, industry, and the communities that rely on it.