The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the City of Algoma will kick off the Algoma Harbor Study with a site visit to Algoma, Wisconsin on March 21.
The study will provide an understanding of sediment movements within the harbor, which will support long-term improvements to the harbor and marina.
Algoma Harbor is experiencing deposition of sediment and organic material that is impeding navigation at the harbor. Part of the study will examine modifications that will reduce or eliminate this issue. The study’s data collection phase will be completed this fall and the study is scheduled for completion in May 2017.
“ We will be monitoring the Ahnapee River, the marina and Lake Michigan for several water quality parameters in order to determine the source of the sedimentation problem ,” said Dr. Jim Selegean, hydraulic engineer and Corps lead of this study . “ We will also be developing a computer model to simulate currents in the harbor in order to understand the conditions under which sedimentation occurs.”
During the site visit, engineers from the Corps will deploy sensors which will gather data on water movements, determine if algae is present and collect information on other water quality parameters.
This study was jointly funded by the Corps and the City of Algoma.