This weekend, Dredge America, Inc. will be staging equipment and supplies at the Ohio River Boat Launch located at 275 Burnett Street and near Paducah’s Transient Boat Dock in preparation for the dredging of sediment downstream of the dock. The contractor expects to begin the annual maintenance dredging in approximately two weeks and be completed by March.
The Ohio River Boat Launch will remain open for the public’s use during this project. However, a section of the parking lot will be unavailable. The Transient Boat Dock will be closed during the dredging operations.
In the same manner as last year’s maintenance dredging operation, the sediment will be removed in an approximately 8-acre area immediately downstream of the dock. All dredged material will be discharged more than three-fourths of a mile downstream in a permitted deep-water area. This work will not affect the Ohio River’s navigational channel.
Background - The City of Paducah approved a three-year contract with Dredge America in October 2022 for hydraulic dredging of sediment downstream of the Transient Dock. In addition, the City received a permit from the Kentucky Division of Water with agreement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to perform a maximum of 60,000 cubic yards of dredging per year to maintain access to the docking area.
During 2018, 2019, and 2020, Paducah experienced extended periods with the Ohio River above flood stage. In 2019, the Ohio River was above flood stage for more than 300 consecutive days. This sustained river level resulted in sediment deposition downstream of the Transient Boat Dock. As a result of the flooding, the Federal Emergency Management Agency obligated more than $3.97 million in federal funds for Paducah’s dredging project, which will cover 90 percent of the total project cost. The remaining amount is split between the State (4.8 percent) and City (5.2 percent).
