Snag hampers dredging in harbor

SANDUSKY — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers indicated it plans to dredge Sandusky's harbor next month and do it again in October 2026. But there's a big hitch. The federal agency noted that for its work to go forward, it needs to have a place to deposit the dredged materials — and it doesn't have one now. The corps released its dredging update for Ohio's seven commercial harbors on Wednesday. While work is "on track" for Toledo, Lorain, Cleveland and three harbors east of Cleveland, but the planned work for Sandusky is listed as having "immediate challenges," the corps stated. "We need an approved location either on land or in the water to place material dredged from Sandusky Harbor, and we're actively working with the city of Sandusky, Ohio EPA, (Ohio Department of Natural Resources) and other stakeholders to find it," corps spokesman Avery Schneider said. Schneider then went into detail about the situation: • "The most recent option used was placement of dredged material in wetland development cells constructed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Those cells have been filled, and no other wetland development projects have been authorized." He was referring to the city's new wetland on the Cedar Point causeway. • "As of now, several in-water wetland and upland disposal alternatives have been proposed, but a non-federal partner to share costs as required by law has not been identified. Ohio state law limits open-lake placement of dredged material to just 10,000 cubic yards — which is only about 7% of the annual dredging needed in Sandusky (130,000 cubic yards)." • "The current lack of placement options will eventually have impacts on commercial use of Sandusky Harbor and may prevent the corps of engineers from completing a 20-year plan for dredged material management." • "Our team at the Buffalo district communicates regularly with the city of Sandusky and our harbor stakeholders there, including monthly conference calls and an in-person meeting this summer to discuss these concerns and talk about our dredged material management plan efforts. We're working closely with them to find solutions, which could involve in-water beneficial use, including wetland restoration and/or upland disposal options." Sandusky's public works director, Aaron Klein, said the city has offered suggestions to the corps. "The corps is responsible for finding a location to put the material," Klein said. "We have given them options to look into." The options are other proposed wetlands projects in Sandusky Bay, he said. Klein said when Ohio banned open lake dumping in 2020, it made dredging more difficult for the corps. The wetlands project at the Cedar Point causeway provided a place for two rounds of dredging for Sandusky, but there's not much capacity left there, Klein said. The corps says that more than 27.5 tons of commodities such as iron ore, limestone, coal and salt pass through Ohio's seven commercial harbors. Those loads support more than 5,500 jobs and close to $1.4 billion in business revenue. And, in Sandusky, the dredging program provides significant economic benefits, Schneider said. "Sandusky Harbor is a deep draft commercial harbor which handled 1.8 million tons of cargo, primarily coal & lignite (87%), with some salt (3%) and miscellaneous mineral product (3%) in 2022. Waterborne transportation facilitated by the harbor supports $80.1 million in business revenue, 323 direct, indirect and induced jobs, and $24.8 million in labor income to the transportation sector," Schneider said. The corps said that despite the need for dredging of Ohio's Lake Erie harbors, the agency is dealing with challenges. "Ohio's harbors are facing potential challenges in 2026 and beyond due to limited funding for dredging and space for the dredged material," the agency said in a news release discussing its current situation.