6 days ago
Contract awarded for Conneaut dredging
CONNEAUT — The United States Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $4 million contract to Michigan-based Walsh Service Solutions to dredge of federal navigation channel in the city's harbor, according to a release from the agency.
Dredging will begin in mid-August and end mid-September, and the contract stipulates a total of around 70,000 cubic yards of material will be removed from the channel, according to the release.
'Dredging of harbors like these ensures accessible depths for large vessels, the continued flow of commodities across the Great Lakes, and the economic viability of United States waterways,' the release said.
Conneaut's harbor supports $132 million in business revenue and $41 million in income for transportation labor.
The release said the harbor has handled 2.9 million tons of cargo in 2022, 98% of which was iron ore.
Conneaut City Manager Nick Sanford said Walsh will work with Kurtz Brothers, the company that oversees the Conneaut Creek Dredge Reclamation Facility.
The city will be paid a tipping fee for the dredged material placed in the facility, he said.
Dredging operations in Conneaut are generally restricted to the federal shipping channel, Sanford said.
Before 2024, the city's harbor was last dredged in 2019, Sanford said.
A state ban on open-lake dumping of dredged material became effective July 1, 2020.
Sanford said the city developed its own dredging plan in-line with state law.
'The Conneaut plan was designed for implementation in 2023; however unforeseen regulatory delays furrowed the agencies into 2024,' he said.
Sanford said, from his understanding, the city's dredge reclamation facility had a great inaugural year.
'The facility performed exactly as designed, dewatering just over 77,000 cubic yards of dredged material from the floor of Conneaut harbor,' he said.
