SANDUSKY, Ohio — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has begun dredging operations in Sandusky Harbor to keep the Lake Erie waterway safe and navigable for commercial ships, recreational boaters and other harbor users. The Buffalo District awarded a $628,000 contract in July to Michigan-based Morrish-Wallace Construction Co., with work starting Oct. 6 and scheduled to wrap up by Nov. 1.
Crews will mechanically dredge about 109,000 cubic yards of sediment from the federal navigation channel in the Moseley and Straight Channels. About 9,000 cubic yards will go to a designated open-lake placement site, while 100,000 cubic yards will be placed in a nearshore site where local currents deposit the material along the coastline — mimicking natural beach nourishment processes. The harbor, which supports more than $322 million in annual economic impact, was last dredged in 2025, when about 9,000 cubic yards were removed.
Beneficial use of dredged sediment is a growing practice on the Great Lakes, turning maintenance material into a resource for shoreline protection instead of a disposal problem. Sandusky’s harbor is a key piece of Lake Erie’s commercial and recreational infrastructure, serving freighters moving through the western basin as well as the region’s large boating and fishing community.
The Corps’ Buffalo District manages dredging across Great Lakes harbors in its territory each year as part of its navigation mission. With work starting this week, harbor users should expect to see dredge equipment operating in the federal channel through the end of October.
