New agreement calls for channel improvement works in Unalaska

The city government of Unalaska in Alaska and the US Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Alaska District have entered into an agreement stipulating channel improvement works.

The agreement requires both parties to provide a 600-by-600-foot (182-by-182-metre) dredged channel with a depth of minus 58 feet (17.6 metres) in Dutch Harbor.

The agreement describes the project and responsibilities of the US federal government and the non-federal sponsor, which is the City of Unalaska, in the cost sharing and execution of work.

Currently, a bar that is shallower than the surrounding seabed located at the entrance to Iliuliuk Bay limits access to Dutch Harbor. The current depth prevents deeper-draught vessels from safely passing over the bar, requiring mariners to take precautionary measures to safely traverse the area.

The project will require dredging an estimated 172,000 cubic yards (131,503 cubic metres) of material.

The total project was allocated US$29.1 million during the federal government’s fiscal year in 2023. The federal government will provide 75 per cent of the cost share for construction and the non-federal sponsor will be responsible for the remaining 25 per cent.

Work is scheduled to begin in July 2024 and be completed by December.