The Sandpiper completes Petaluma River dredging

The Petaluma River dredging program was successfully completed this week, the USACE San Francisco District reports.

To celebrate the long-awaited milestone, the City of Petaluma hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday.

Around-the-clock dredging started September 5 with The Sandpiper, an all-electric cutter-head suction dredger owned by Pacific Dredge & Construction.

With the dredger in the background, San Francisco District Commander Lt. Col. John Cunningham, Congressman Jared Huffman and Petaluma Mayor Teresa Barrett provided remarks to a small, socially-distanced crowd before snipping the ceremonial red ribbon.

More than 150,000 cubic yards of mud and silt has been removed from the channel, clearing the way for increased commercial and recreational vessel traffic.

“We are so looking forward to welcoming people back up the river and all the wonderful events we put on here,” said Marie McCusker, executive director of the Petaluma Downtown Association & Visitors Program.

“A dredged river raises everyone economically.”

Following their work in the river channel, the crew will move its dredging equipment south of Highway 37 to begin the across-the-flats portion of the project.