Corps of Engineers to start Swinomish Channel dredging Sept. 9

Dredging in the Swinomish Channel will begin Sept. 9 and continue until mid-February, says the U.S. Army Corps of ­Engineers.

Last dredged in 2018, the 11-mile long, 100-feet wide, 12-feet deep federal navigation channel is dredged every four to six years because “navigation through the channel is essential for commerce in the area,” said Sara Young, executive director of The Port of Skagit.

Most of the work during the round-the-clock, six-days-a-week project will take place at the entrances of the channel. At the south end, the Skagit River constantly deposits silt as it hits Goat Island near the jetty. At the north entrance, silt builds up in slow-moving water where Fidalgo Bay and the channel meet.

The channel between La Conner and the Swinomish Reservation also silts up. “When my father was a teenager, they were able to walk across the channel to La Conner,” said J. J. Wilbur, chai of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Port Commission. “That’s how shallow it was.”

To prepare for dredging around the Swinomish docks, the tribe has been removing derelict vessels and cleaning up. They will move vessels as needed to accommodate the contractor. American Construction Co. Inc. will dredge approximately 150,000 cubic yards from the south entrance, Hole-in-the-Wall and Rainbow Bridge areas and the north entrance. Scows will carry the material to an open-­water disposal site in the Rosario Strait, which runs northwest of Cypress Island.

The channel will remain open during dredging operations, but the USACE advises waterway users to slow down, reduce wakes, pay attention to rig marking, be cautious and maintain a safe distance from all dredging equipment.

According to Young, the USACE does a good job coordinating its work with stakeholders. The Port of Skagit, the Port of Anacortes, the Swinomish and Upper Skagit tribes, the Town of La Conner, the Shelter Bay community and Skagit County meet with the USACE two or three times every year to give the USACE the users’ perspective on the channel and stay up to date on the USACE’s dredging cycle.

“Our primary goal is to advocate for funding through the federal Water Resources Development Act,” said Young. “We work with our legislative delegation to make sure that when dredging is needed, the funding is programmed in the corps budget.”

During the project, USACE will stay in touch with users like Mavrik Marine CEO Bailey Shewchuck, who needs channel access in October and November when Mavrik will conduct sea trials on a new ferry.

All in-water work is scheduled during a “fish window,” when dredging work poses the lowest risk to fish species and habitat.

“We’re happy to be involved with the dredging program and with The Port of Skagit, the Town of La Conner and the USACE,” said Wilbur.

“The work won’t hurt the fish and we will get a good deeper mooring and utilize more of our docks.”