AMO Currents - Dredging underway in Presque Isle Bay

AMO Currents - Posted: July 19, 2011

Dredging underway in Presque Isle Bay

A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredging operation is underway in Presque Isle Bay near Carmeuse Lime & Stone-Erie Sand & Gravel with the goal of returning the navigational depth to 26 feet from its current level of 21 feet, the Erie Times-News reported last week.

"They have dredged the channel, but I can't even remember the last time they dredged the inner harbor, and I have been here for over 20 years," Ray Schreckengost, executive director of the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority, told the newspaper.

The dredging operation will remove mud and sediment, which pose a navigational hazard for Great Lakes freighters. The deeper water will allow for larger loads per trip and improved efficiency.

Fuller utilization of a vessel's capacity translates to better rates for shipping customers and more work for lake-going freighters, Glen Nekvasil, vice president of the Lake Carriers' Association, told the newspaper.

While this operation is good news for the Great Lakes maritime industry, the political struggle continues to secure funding for dredging operations throughout the Great Lakes Navigation System.

Legislation currently pending in Congress would require funds from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, which has accumulated a large surplus, to be spent for their intended purpose: maintenance dredging of U.S. harbors and channels.