New Buffalo dredging work gets underway

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, is about to begin maintenance dredging operations on the federal navigation channel in New Buffalo Harbor.  

The dredging will remove about 15,000 cubic yards of shoaling in the harbor, which will be then used for renourishment about 1,500 feet south of the South Breakwater. Material will be placed from the shoreline to about 8 feet deep in Lake Michigan. 

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy previously approved a water quality certification for sediment to be placed in the area with a Section 401 water quality certification. 

“Maintenance dredging presents an excellent opportunity to nourish beaches from erosion at New Buffalo Harbor,” said Liz Newell Wilkinson, the operations manager at the Grand Haven Office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District.

“We are able to support both marine traffic and our Lake Michigan beaches at the same time with these important projects. It is a win-win for southwest Michigan.” 

King Co., of Holland, Michigan, was awarded the $465,000 contract for the project. The contractor will use two 12-hour shifts to complete the work as quickly as possible.

Dredging is scheduled to conclude June 7, pending weather conditions.