Kaptur Applauds Start of Work to Fully Dredge Cleveland Harbor

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announces agreement to dredge full six miles of Cuyahoga navigation channel

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur responded to news that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has agreed to dredge the full six miles of the lower Cuyahoga River and the Port of Cleveland and is beginning work today.

“Keeping the Cleveland Harbor system fully dredged is essential for many industries and thousands of workers that depend on it.” said Rep. Kaptur. “At the same time, dumping toxic dredging materials directly into Lake Erie is simply not an option. I and many others have fought hard to ensure the Cleveland Harbor system is fully dredged this year in a way that does not resort to open lake dumping. The Corps has finally agreed to step up and do this work the right way, and I applaud them for that.”

USACE had previously agreed to dredge the first five miles of the lower Cuyahoga River, clearing and depositing an estimated 45,000 cubic yards of dredged material into a confined disposal facility (CDF) at a cost of $294,550. The final mile was previously contested, requiring the removal of an estimated 180,000 cubic yards of dredged material at an cost of $1.485 million.

Dredging the Cuyahoga River Federal Navigation Channel is necessary to enable delivery of essential raw materials to ArcelorMittal Cleveland, one of the largest integrated steel mills in the U.S. located at the head of navigation on the Cuyahoga River. This facility employs approximately 1,900 workers with more than 13,000 indirect and secondary jobs dependent on the facility.

According to USACE, dredging will start today and continue through mid-July. Sediment removed from the channel will be placed into confined disposal facilities (CDFs), near Burke Front Airport, Cleveland, OH.

“USACE fully recognizes the importance of dredging Cleveland Harbor to maintain the federal navigation channel for safe navigation and economic viability of the region,” said LTC Karl Jansen, USACE Buffalo District commander.

A federal judge ruledthis week that USACE must fully dredge the Cleveland Harborand Cuyahoga River shipping channel, pending the resolution of an Ohio state lawsuit to determine whether the state or USACE would bear the final cost of full dredging and responsible disposal.

Rep. Kaptur recently held an eventat the Port of Cleveland to highlight the jobs and economic impact that depend on a fully-dredged port.

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