Contract awarded to dredge Maumee Bay

        The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, has awarded a $2.1 million contract to Ryba Marine and Construction to conduct dredging of the federal navigation channel in Maumee Bay, located along Lake Erie in Toledo Harbor in the City of Toledo.
        The contract calls for dredged material to be placed in a contractor furnished location, different from last year’s dredging cycle when material was placed at an open lake site.
        “I am pleased that the Toledo Harbor will be dredged this fall, which will provide for safe navigation while still protecting the water quality and health of Lake Erie,” said Ohio Senator Rob Portman. “Dredging the Toledo Harbor is crucial to supporting thousands of local and regional jobs as well as shipping more than 9 million tons of material per year. I applaud the partnership between the Corps, State of Ohio, and the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority in this effort.”
        Regular dredging of Maumee Bay is absolutely vital to the functioning of the port and economy, said Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur.
        "I thank the Army Corps of Engineers and their partners in the private and public sector for their efforts to ensure this work gets done. I am especially pleased that open lake disposal of the dredged materials will not be carried out this year, instead moving to a more environmentally sustainable solution. Millions depend on Lake Erie for drinking water, commercial shipping, and fishing. I'm glad this project will be carried out with those interests in mind."
        “The Buffalo District is incredibly proud to serve our nation and the Toledo region in this incredibly vital capacity,” said USACE Buffalo District Commander, LTC Eli Adams.
         “We're also excited to be a part of an incredible partnership with our project sponsors. The hard work of many stakeholders, including the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, Ohio EPA, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, with the advocacy of Senator Portman, Senator Sherrod Brown, and Congresswoman Kaptur, We look forward to continued collaboration on dredging across the State of Ohio to not only secure navigation and commerce but also ensure the environmental health of beautiful places like Maumee Bay and Lake Erie."
        The Toledo Harbor is a critical part of Ohio’s economy, supporting thousands of jobs in agriculture and manufacturing, said Gov. Mike DeWine.
        “Maintaining the harbor requires the Army Corps of Engineers to annually remove one million tons of sediment from the navigational channel, and finding an alternative location for the sediment. It requires extensive collaboration between Ohio, the Corps, and the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. I appreciate the commitment to the health of Lake Erie shown by the Corps along with the support of Congresswoman Kaptur, Senator Portman, and Senator Brown.”
        “The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority is happy to report that through the collaborative efforts and financial support of state, federal and local stakeholders, we will be ready to accept all the dredge material into the upland placement facility in 2020,” said the Port Authority’s Vice President of Business Development Joseph Cappel. “No material will be placed into the open waters of Lake Erie. The Port Authority continues the effort to pursue beneficial uses for dredged material and we are excited about the prospects for using this material in a wide range of applications, including agricultural field enhancement projects.”
        The Maumee Bay contract was awarded on July 1. Dredging is expected to begin in September. Maumee Bay dredging will take place from the Maumee River mouth, extending out into the Maumee Bay navigation channel, and will result in the removal of approximately 400,000 cubic yards of material.
        Toledo Harbor is a deep draft commercial harbor that shipped and received just over 9.5 million tons of material in 2019, through its interconnectivity with 37 commercial ports. It generates approximately $375 million in business revenue annually, and supports about 7,000 direct, indirect, and induced jobs that produce over $500 million per year in personal income for transportation-related industries.