Dredging on Petaluma Turning Basin and Marina about to begin

The Petaluma Turning Basin and Marina are set to close temporarily for routine dredging work, the City of Petaluma said.

This comes after the city awarded a contract to a local company for dredging maintenance and to install upgrades to nearby docks.

Petaluma City Council last week approved the allocation of more than $563,000 for a construction contract with Lind Marine, allowing for the two-phase dredging project to start.

The project’s first phase will include the dredging of areas left out during work in 2020 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as well as removal and restoration of the city dock on the west side of the Turning Basin and the Petaluma Small Craft Center dock and gangway.

The city dock on the east side of the Turning Basin will also be removed, city staff said, but its replacement won’t be completed until 2023, in the second phase of the project.

“This project will do the dredging necessary to improve watercraft access to the entire Turning Basin as well as provide better clearance for using the City’s docks,” city staff said in a city of Petaluma website post.

The dredging work comes as the city looks to improve watercraft access to the Turning Basin, which has experienced recent silt buildup that is causing problems for launching kayaks and paddle boards from the docks.

Phase 1 of the project will start October 3, 2022, and is expected to end October 18, 2022.