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Council hears update on stalled canal dredging; U.S. Army Corps may extend permit
Summary
City staff told the council heavy rains and sediment have silted the Wolf River mouth, limiting the contractor to 30–40% barge loads; the Army Corps indicated willingness to extend the permit and staff will work with state and federal agencies for a solution.
City staff told the Diamondhead City Council on July 20 that heavy rains and extraordinary sediment loads have stalled a canal dredging contract and left the contractor unable to operate barges at full capacity.
The City Manager said the contractor is loading barges at roughly 30–40% of capacity because the mouth of the Wolf River has silted in after recent rains, including 6.1 inches on May 9–10 and additional rainfall from the June tropical system. The contractor has reported difficulty getting barges into the beneficial-use (BU) site to offload dredged material and faces a clay-heavy spoil that complicates pumping and offloading operations.
"Anywhere between 30 and 40 percent of barge is about the best he's gonna be able to do to be able to float that barge in there," the City Manager said. He told the council engineers and staff are coordinating with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Department of Marine Resources (DMR) to resolve the issue.
The City Manager reported the Army Corps has indicated a willingness to extend the city's permit to allow additional time for dredging, and staff requested a two-year extension to take advantage of a low-tide winter season. Council members pressed whether an extension would change the project's cost; the City Manager said increased costs are possible but that the work is funded with RESTORE funds and would be subject to reimbursement rules from the funding authority.
Council members expressed frustration with the contractor’s slow progress and urged exploring technical fixes. One council member suggested a water-injection or slurry system to turn clay into a pumpable slurry, which the manager said was being considered among other options.
Why it matters: the canal dredging is tied to navigation and marsh restoration goals and is part of a multi-agency permitting and funding environment; continued delays could increase contract costs and affect associated restoration timelines.
What’s next: staff will continue coordination with the Army Corps, DEQ and DMR, pursue administrative steps for a permit extension and report back to council as options and schedules are clarified.
Attribution: City Manager (presenting); council members questioned the technical approach and contractor performance.
