Manistee Harbor dredging begins this Sunday

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, will dredge the Manistee Harbor federal channel to ensure safe navigation as early as this Sunday.

The maintenance project is set to remove seasonal shoaling at the mouth of the channel, which impacts commercial traffic when left unaddressed.  

Dredged sediment will be transported through a submerged pipeline about a half mile south of the Manistee South Pier. The material will be placed with a floating pontoon at the 4–12-foot bottom contour of the lake to allow natural wave action to renourish erosion points, while also minimizing interruption to beachgoers.  

“Manistee Harbor has seen significant shoaling from weather events in recent years, necessitating the Corps of Engineers to dredge the harbor more frequently for large vessel traffic,” said Liz Newell Wilkinson, Grand Haven Office operations manager.

Manistee is a significant receiving port on Lake Michigan, generating approximately $22 million in annual business revenue and $7 million in labor income for the transportation sector, USACE said. The federal channel also serves as a harbor of refuge and home to the U.S. Coast Guard Station Manistee. 

King Co., based in Holland, Michigan, was awarded the $699,225.00 project to dredge 36,400 cubic yards of shoaling.

Dredging is scheduled to be completed before November 4.