Dredging in the St. Joseph Harbor is underway. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ordered emergency dredging due to the water being as shallow as 13 feet in May, making it impossible for larger vessels to reach the inner harbor. Congressman Fred Upton says that put in jeopardy several construction projects in the region, including the US-31 expansion to I-94. The commercial harbor receives shipments of limestone, sand, gravel, armor stone, cement, slag, salt, and petroleum products. An emergency allocation of $500,000 is paying for the dredging, which is being done by Great Lakes Dock and Materials LLC from Muskegon. The company is taking 11,500 cubic yards of material out of the harbor and dumping it at the Southwest Michigan Regional Airport.
