The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District will conduct strategic navigation dredging of the Black Rock Channel, starting in mid November and continuing through January 2015.
The $2.2 million contract, funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), has been awarded to Luedtke Engineering Co., Frankfort, Mich., and will target 250,000 cubic yards of legacy sediment in the Black Rock Channel.
Legacy sediment refers to sediment that may be holding contaminants from decades of industrial, residential, and/or municipal use of the river and could be having a negative impact on the aquatic environment.
The removal of the legacy sediment will make significant progress towards restoring beneficial uses in the Niagara River Area of Concern.
Sediment removed during dredging will be placed in the USACE Buffalo Harbor Dike 4 Confined Disposal Facility, located at the south entrance to Buffalo Harbor, adjacent to the Bethlehem Steel property, Buffalo, NY.
“ Dredging the Black Rock Channel will help to restore the Great Lakes and will ensure the lake’s viability for generations to come ,” said CPT Kelly Polashenski, USACE project manager. “ Thanks to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s GLRI funding we are able to make this dredging happen.”
[mappress mapid=”19093″]
Press Release