The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Buffalo District is scheduled to begin dredging Lorain Harbor, Ohio, on September 15 under a $2.5 million contract awarded to Walsh Service Solutions.
The Michigan-based contractor will use mechanical dredging to remove a volume of approximately 45,000 cubic yards of sediment from the Lake Erie harbor’s federal navigation channel. The work will extend from the harbor entrance upriver to multiple docks and is scheduled for completion in October.
The project is intended to maintain authorized channel depths for Great Lakes commercial vessels and recreational traffic. These depths range from 17 feet in the turning basins to 29 feet in the entrance channel, allowing large vessels to navigate the harbor safely.
USACE said dredging operations are not expected to disrupt navigation. Boaters have been asked to use caution near the equipment and stay a safe distance from active work areas.
Material removed by dredging will be transported to a local facility for sediment recycling and beneficial use.
The Buffalo District awarded the contract to Walsh Service Solutions in June 2026. The confirmed project scope is smaller than preliminary planning estimates issued in November 2025, which indicated that up to 100,000 cubic yards could be removed during the 2026 season.
Lorain is a deep-draft commercial harbor that handled one million tons of cargo in 2023. Limestone accounted for 93 per cent of that volume, while salt represented 2.4 per cent.
USACE figures estimate that waterborne transportation through the harbor is associated with $27.6 million in annual business revenue and 103 direct, indirect and induced jobs. It also produces about $9.1 million in labor income for the transportation sector.
“Maintaining the operation of ports like Lorain is a core part of our mission and essential to nearly $37 million in annual economic impact,” Buffalo District commander Lt. Col. Aaron Anderson said.
USACE carries out yearly dredging at Lorain Harbor when shoaling conditions, available funding and federal navigation priorities make the work necessary. The agency removed approximately 40,000 cubic yards in 2025 and 62,000 cubic yards in 2024.