The City of South Haven has authorized Gro America, a dredging contractor, to begin dredging South Haven Harbor.
Gro America plans to start work on Monday, April 22.
The sequence of work will begin at the North Side Marina, then move to the South Side Marina, Turning Basin, Friends Goodwill Channel and the Black River.
The contract includes the Black River from the end of the Federal Channel near the Dyckman Bridge to the City Limits near Blue Star Highway.
The dredging depth for the Black River upstream of Dyckman Bridge will be 5.85 feet below Low Water Datum.
The City of South Haven does not plan to dredge the Federal Harbor, because the Army Corps of Engineers has announced that it has received funding and will dredge the Federal Harbor in late summer or fall of this year.
The City of South Haven dredging project is expected to take six to eight weeks to completion.
Funding for the 2013 South Haven Dredging Project is supported by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources – Waterways, which has authorized $453,050 grant funding for the project.
The source of this grant funding is fuel taxes on marine fuels.
In response to requests for assistance with dredging of private marinas and slips, the City of South Haven has agreed to allow Gro America to use City property to temporarily stage dredge spoil from private marinas and docks.
This will allow owners of private marinas and docks to contract directly with Gro America for dredging services.
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Press Release, April 18, 2013