BUFFALO, NY -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District has marked a submerged stone wall in Ashtabula, Ohio to remind boaters of its presence inside Ashtabula Harbor’s East Breakwater.
The 1,500 linear foot wall is now identified by nine red buoys with reflective tape, floating at water level approximately every 165 feet. The top of the submerged stone wall is approximately one to two feet below the water level. The wall creates an enclosed space not designed for boater access. For safety, boaters should stay in the bounds of the federal navigation channel until outside the harbor.
The wall forms an L-shape, following the same southeasterly direction of the outermost segment of the East Breakwater, for approximately 1,000 feet heading toward the shore. It then bends east toward the inner portion of the East Breakwater for about 500 feet.
The submerged stone wall was constructed in 2021 as a beneficial use of dredged sediment placement area for the creation of a new wetland ecosystem. The project is expected to significantly improve the condition of Ashtabula Harbor for native plants and animals, as well as area residents and visitors to the waterfront, and is being conducted in close coordination with the Ashtabula City Port Authority, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Details of this project and important safety information have been shared via local marinas, boat ramps, and hubs for fishermen, along with a Local Notice to Mariners (LNM), broadcast by the U.S. Coast Guard. The LNM can be found at: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=lnmDistrict®ion=9. USACE has also provided the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration with coordinates and design data for the submerged stone wall to include on their current navigational charts.
More information is available at: https://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/Portals/45/docs/ProjFact/AshtabulaHarbor.pdf?ver=ttpC7ECQyUvzoAJmuwrb8g%3d%3d
Graphics and photos available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/buffalousace/albums/72157719597690620
The Buffalo District delivers world class engineering solutions to the Great Lakes Region, the Army and the Nation in order to ensure national security, environmental sustainability, water resource management, and emergency assistance during peace and war.