Dredging Information

Great Lakes Navigation:
The Great Lakes serve as the nation's fourth sea coast by transporting vital commodities to and from the nation's heartland. Waterborne commerce is critical to the regional and national economy. Commercial navigation on the Great Lakes is dominated by the transport of raw materials for steel making, coal-fired power production, and construction materials such as limestone, cement, stone gravel. Total annual commerce on the Great Lakes averages over 175 million tons. The St. Lawrence Seaway is a dynamic, international waterway stretching over 2,000 miles from the Gulf of the St. Lawrence Seaway on the Atlantic coast to the tip of Lake Superior at Duluth, Minnesota. The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway generates $5 billion annually in income and directly supports 67,000 jobs. In addition, recreational boating contributes approximately $9 billion annually to the regional economy.

The Great Lakes system includes 47 deep draft ports and 55 shallow draft harbors. Waterborne commerce is more economical and environmentally sound form of transportation and is made possible by partnerships with government agencies and industry in both the United States and Canada.

Maintaining the Great Lakes Navigation System:
*Great Lakes navigation requires maintenance by dredging channels and harbors. Approximately 25 activities a year remove 2-4 million cubic yards of lake bottom material. In addition to maintaining the channels for navigation, the Corps of Engineer’s dredging program benefits environmental restoration of the Great Lakes. Over 90 million cubic yards of contaminated sediments, which threaten the health of the surrounding 8 states, municipalities, and the fisheries, have been removed and safely confined.

In addition to dredging operations, safe operation and maintenance of the 734 miles of Great Lakes navigation channel is possible by the Corps of Engineers ongoing activities to map and survey the lakes, build and maintain 150 miles of breakwater, and operate and maintain 25 lock chambers and 44 confined disposal facilities for dredge sediment.

USACE National Navigation Program:
Every day thousands of vessels move people, animals, and products across the country via the nation's rivers and harbors. This water traffic is a vital component of the nation's economy.  One of the Corps primary missions is to ensure that this traffic can move safely, reliably, and efficiently and with minimal impact on the environment.

The Corps primary navigation responsibilities include planning and constructing new navigation channels and locks and dams, and dredging to maintain channel depths at U.S. harbors and on inland waterways.

The Corps operates and maintains 12,000 miles of inland and intracoastal waterway navigable channels, including 192 commercial lock and dam sites, and is responsible for ports and waterways in 41 states.

In partnership with local port authorities, Corps personnel oversee dredging and construction projects at hundreds of ports and harbors at an average annual cost of over $1.3 billion. The Corps dredges over 250 million cubic yards of material each year to keep the nation's waterways navigable. Much of this dredged material is reused for environmental restoration projects including the creation of wetlands.

USACE Navigation Brochures:
Inland Waterway Navigation brochure | Printable Version

Deep Water Ports and Harbors brochure | Printable Version