U.S. House approves funds for dredging

Daily Triplicate

Harbormaster Richard Young is cautiously excited, and Crescent City boat owners should be as well.

An appropriations bill that just passed the U.S. House of Representatives includes $1.6 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge Crescent City's harbor.

“That doesn't mean the corps has the money. It still has to pass through the Senate and be signed by President Obama,” Young said. “As my contact at the corps told me, ‘it's not over till it's over.'”

The $1.6 million is not enough to dredge all of the federal channel, but it is enough to do the critical parts, Young said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimated that it would probably cost $2 million to $3 million to dredge the full federal channel, depending on where the material is disposed of.

Nearly 100 commercial fishing boats and 70 recreational vessels depend on the harbor for moorage. About eight years' worth of siltation has filled in the access channel to depths of less than 3 feet in some spots, Young said. If no action is taken to remove the sediment that continues to fill the harbor's channel, the fleet of fishing boats could be forced to dock elsewhere.

Already, many local fishing boat skippers must watch the tides to plan when it's safe to enter or exit the harbor. For some boats, low or minus-tides almost always guarantee hitting bottom in the access channel, forcing fishermen to stay docked or at sea until it's safe to move.

“It would absolutely be enough to do the critical part of the federal channel, and it will make a big difference in access to the harbor,” Young told The Triplicate last year.

“Dredging the harbor must happen both to create economic opportunities and provide basic safety,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson in a statement released Friday. “Right now the federal channel is silted in and in a low tide boats have difficulty going in and out of the harbor. It impedes Coast Guard emergency response time and threatens access to fueling docks. Dredging the harbor is critical for Crescent City and is a boost to Del Norte County, and I'm proud this funding will finally get the job done.”