The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has announced that it has awarded a $7.3 million contract to Michigan-based Great Lakes Dock and Materials to remove built-up sediment and install a wave-absorbing stone structure along the west breakwater in Barcelona Harbor. According to USACE, the project will provide a long-term solution to significant shoaling and blockage of the federal navigation channel, which has caused dangerous conditions for boaters on Lake Erie and posed a threat to the economic viability of the harbor.
For years, sediment has piled up along the lakeward side of the west breakwater, creating a ramp for water and sediment to travel up and over the structure, especially during storms. This action has transported sediment into the harbor's federal navigation channel, creating dangerous shoals that block access to boaters and can cause them to run aground.
Beginning next summer, sediment built-up on the lakeward side of the breakwater will be removed and placed in a nearshore site on the eastern side of the harbor near Ottaway Park. Placement in this location will help nourish the shoreline down-drift of the harbor and provide a long-term benefit for coastal resiliency. Immediately following removal of the sediment, a stone overlay will be installed along the lakeward side of the breakwater for wave absorption. The structure is designed to reduce wave energy and decrease overtopping by 90%, minimizing the amount of sediment that is transported over the breakwater and into the federal navigation channel.
In 2025, USACE conducted advanced maintenance dredging in Barcelona Harbor's federal navigation channel, removing an estimated 21,000 cubic yards of sediment. The dredging resulted in roughly one foot of added depth and 10 feet of added width beyond authorized channel limits, and provided the space needed complete the removal of sediment build-up on the west side of the breakwater and construct the stone overlay in 2027.
Photo by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
