The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin dredging the St. Joseph Harbor this week.
The corps says it will dredge 29,500 cubic yards of shoaling near the entrance to the harbor starting Thursday and finish up in late August.
The corps maintains about 1.5 miles of federal navigation channel to a depth of up to 21 feet in the harbor entrance and river channel, as well as 18 feet in the turning basin. About 40,000 cubic yards of shoaling have been removed each year from the mouth of the St. Joseph River, which allows access for the U.S. Coast Guard and larger commercial vessels.
The King Company out of Holland will do the actual dredging.
The dredged sand will be used for beach replenishment south of Park Street and south about 3,000 feet, through Lions Park, to the St. Joseph Water Filtration Plant.
The public is asked to avoid the active dredging and placement areas during the work, as well as any areas marked with orange cones and caution tape. That’s because the pipes and the outfall of sand at the beach could create some quicksand-like conditions during the active pumping. Also, heavy equipment will be nearby.
