Port of Skagit to Use New Dredging Technique

The Port of Skagit is about to use a new dredging technique for the upcoming La Conner Marina project.

The Washington Department of Ecology recently approved the port’s proposal to use hydraulic dredging and dispose the dredged material at the Rosario Strait, off the shores of Anacortes.

Previously, the port was using clamshell dredge and a barge to transport the dredged material to the Port Gardner open-water site for disposal.

According to the port spokesman, Andrew Entrikin, hydraulic dredging, to be done using suction equipment, will be more effective than clamshell dredging.

“Clamshell dredging required a barge and made it difficult to reach some parts of the marina,” Entrikin said. “The port will dispose of the dredged sediment in Rosario Strait rather than continuing to take it to Port Gardner near Tacoma to reduce costs.”

During the 2017 dredging season, which is set for late summer, approximately 136,000 cubic yards of sediment will be removed from the marina. Dredging would be performed to a target depth of -12 feet mean lower low water (MLLW) with up to one-foot of over-dredge to a maximum depth of -13 feet MLLW.

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