American Construction Company is working away in the Upper Bay this morning, completing dredging between River Miles 12 and 15, Port of Coos Bay reports.
Contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, American will remove approximately 1,000,000 cubic yards of material between now and October 31st of this year.
The project will take the the depth of the shipping channel back down to -36′ Mean Lowest Low Water (MLLW).
According to Port of Coos Bay, this work is not only important for the safety of vessel transit, but also to foster maritime commerce in the Harbor.
Regular maintenance dredging helps balance safety, economic, and environmental requirements of navigation waterways.
As the non-federal sponsor of the channel, the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay holds the Unified Dredging Permit for terminals along the 15-mile navigational channel. This allows terminals within the bay to dredge their terminals to ensure vessels can moor safely and efficiently.