Holland Harbor dredging project starting this week

The U.S. Corps of Engineers, Detroit District will start dredging the entrance to Holland Harbor as early as Thursday, April 24 to remove shoaling across the federal channel.

According to the Corps, surveys indicate a shoal formed in the winter months across the entrance to the harbor that could potentially impact commercial dredging if not addressed.

The harbor was scheduled for dredging in the 2025 maintenance work plan to maintain the Congressionally authorized depth of the federal channel.  King Co. Inc., based in Holland, will dredge about 12,400 cubic yards of sediment hydraulically.

The project will cost $344,480 out of a three-project contract that also includes Grand Haven and St. Joseph Harbors.

“After finding the shoaling in Holland, we asked the contractor to prioritize the harbor in their spring schedule to keep commercial vessel traffic moving without impact,” said Liz Newell Wilkinson, the operations manager at the Grand Haven Office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District.

Dredged sediment will be placed south of Holland Harbor on the nearshore lake bottom 8 to 12 feet deep. The placement allows the beach to be nourished – a replacement of eroded sediment – without the impacts of heavy machinery or pipes onshore.