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State Approves $11.3 Million for Lake County Dredging Facility

STATE APPROVES $11.3 MILLION IN FUNDS FOR LAKE COUNTY DREDGING FACILITY
New facility will allow dredging of Fairport Harbor to be re-instated

PAINESVILLE, OH – On April 4th, 2022, the State of Ohio’s Office of Budget and Management Controlling Board authorized $47 million to fund the construction of Sediment Recycling Facilities across the State of Ohio. Sometimes called a confined placement facility, they are specifically designed for the containment of contaminated dredged material from Lake Erie that provides control of potential releases of contaminants to the environment. Lake County will receive $11.3 million in funding to construct its facility in Painesville Township, which is planned to be operational this fall.

The need for these facilities was prompted by ORC 6111.32 which bans the disposal of dredged sediment from federal navigation channels into Lake Erie. As a result, the dredging of the Grand River in Fairport Harbor came to a halt last year. “That action posed a significant economic problem for the County,” stated David Anderson, Executive Director of the Lake Development Authority. “This is Lake County’s only commercial port. Losing the ability to conduct maritime commerce threatens about 170 jobs and over $371 million of commodities handled through the port each year.” Please click here to view the entire news release.