Fed OKs $895K to dredge channel here

By Scott Sullivan
Editor
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to appropriate $895,000 to this spring dredge the Kalamazoo River federal channel from Saugatuck’s Coral Gables north and west to Lake Michigan. (See map at lower right.)
Federal work, last performed here in spring 2019, provides for an entrance channel between piers and revetments 200 feet apart where the river meets the big lake, inland some 9,000 feet 90 feet wide and 14 feet deep.
The $375,000 dredging four years ago included spreading 34,000 cubic yards of dredge spoils sand onto and near Oval Beach 4,900 to 6,500 feet south of the channel mouth, which proved provident during record high-water years that followed.
The harbor serves mostly recreational boats and occasional cruise ships. Coordinated action from Saugatuck city, township and Douglas gained Allegan County Commissioner Dean Kapenga’s and U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga’s support for the project, always helpful.
“Harbors and rivers serve as a major source of economic activity for communities along the lakeshore,” said Huizenga. “I am happy that Saugatuck and Douglas will have the resources needed to dredge the harbor.”