The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with local sponsor Port of Everett, started the maintenance dredging of the upper and lower channel of Everett Harbor and Snohomish River October 16.
The Corps awarded a contract to Portable Hydraulic Dredging, LLC., of Anchorage, Alaska., for $1.5 million.
Approximately 60,000 cubic yards of material will be dredged from the upper channel and placed on an adjacent upland site.
USACE will also dredge 40,000 cubic yards from the lower channel, which will be beneficially placed on Jetty Island’s west shore.
Prior to dredging, the material is tested and the Corps prepares a biological evaluation in accordance with the Endangered Species Act.
The Corps assures full compliance with the act prior to starting, and potential impacts are avoided through implementing timing restrictions designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USACE reported.
They also added that boaters in the area should slow down, pass on the marina side of the dredge to avoid traveling over the partially submerged pipeline, pay attention to rig markings, avoid and be cautious around the dredging operations. The work should be complete by mid-December.
The port-owned Jetty Island is a man-made island composed of sediment dredged from the Snohomish River. It began as a riprap jetty in the late 1800s and provided a protected harbor and navigation channel.
The Port of Everett gained ownership of Jetty Island in 1929 and, with the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, built a new marsh of dredged river materials in 1989.