Dredging begins at Rocky River Harbor

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, has started maintenance dredging works in Rocky River Harbor to maintain safe and navigable waterways for recreational boaters and other harbor users on Lake Erie.

USACE awarded a $1.1 million contract in April 2026 to Toledo-based Geo Gradel to complete the work.

Dredging operations began in late May and are expected to continue through August 2026.

Approximately 59,000 cubic yards of sediment will be mechanically dredged from the harbor’s navigation channel. Of that material, about 9,000 cubic yards will be placed in a designated open-lake placement area and approximately 50,000 cubic yards will be placed in a near-shore area east of Rocky River Harbor.

The harbor was last dredged in 2004, when approximately 18,400 cubic yards of material were removed. Rocky River Harbor typically requires dredging every five to 10 years depending on shoaling conditions, funding availability and federal navigation priorities, USACE concluded.