Dredging Begins at Cleveland Harbor

The Buffalo Engineer District and its contractor, New York-based DMYLES Inc., began dredging May 1 at the Cleveland Harbor federal navigation channel.

The Buffalo District awarded the $9 million contract on March 7. The contract calls for about 180,000 cubic yards of material to be dredged from the lower Cuyahoga River and moved to a confined disposal facility. The project will allow large vessels to more easily move through the harbor when transporting goods.

Cleveland’s harbor sees more than $420 million in cargo movements annually and supports 1,674 jobs. In 2022, the harbor handled 9.2 million tons of cargo, with iron ore making up 53 percent of total commodities. Dredging occurs at the harbor every spring and continues into fall. According to the Corps, 250,000 cubic yards of material was removed from the harbor in 2024.

This year’s dredging is projected to conclude in November.