The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a dredging contract for Dunkirk Harbor.

Michigan-based Dean Marine & Excavating, Inc., is doing the job in the federal navigation channel for $618,332, according to a news release from the Corps’ Buffalo District.

A total of 30,000 cubic yards of material is set to be dredged from the federal navigation channel;15,000 cubic yards will be placed in the open lake and 15,000 cubic yards will be placed in the near shore. Dredging is scheduled to take place later this summer.

“They’ve been here before and have done an excellent job for the city. They know the area,” Dunkirk Mayor Wilfred Rosas said of Dean Marine & Excavating. He said city Department of Public Works Director Randy Woodbury has an excellent working relationship with the company.

“We are pleased to hear they were awarded the contract, and we are pleased the Army Corps of Engineers awarded the contract,” Rosas said.

The mayor said work will be done near the former NRG plant, the marina and the pier. “This is important for us to get that done,” he said.

According to the Corps, Dunkirk Harbor requires dredging every three years, removing approximately 60,000 cubic yards of material to maintain the navigation channel. The harbor was last dredged in 2018, when approximately 128,000 cubic yards of material got removed.

Dunkirk is a refuge harbor and supports 24 charter fishing boats generating approximately $196,000 in net income annually, the Corps stated.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer announced the dredging at an April 14 press conference in Dunkirk where he touted $10 million in funding for Chautauqua County projects

“Dunkirk Harbor is an economic engine for the surrounding community, but years of debris build up and sediment accumulation has made parts of the channel unnavigable and threatened the continued operation of this vital Western New York waterway,” Schumer said this week. “This will help Chautauqua County and Western New York communities breathe easier and allow the full potential of the harbor flow both for business tourism, and recreation. I say it is full steam ahead for Dunkirk Harbor!”

“This contract award facilitates the necessary dredging and ensures Dunkirk Harbor remains accessible to all recreational activities and commercial commodity transportation across the Great Lakes,” said Major Lyle Milliman, Deputy District Commander of the Buffalo District. “Buffalo District maintains the federal navigation channels across the lower Great Lakes, which support our local communities, like Dunkirk, as well as the regional and national economies.”