SAUGATUCK, Mich. (WOOD) — Saugatuck’s beautiful beaches will see some construction crews for the first half of the summer.

A federal project begins next week to dredge Saugatuck Harbor to ensure it’s safe for boats and ships to go through. The popular two-mile channel connects the Kalamazoo River to Lake Michigan.

The Army Corps of Engineers has contracted the Holland-based King Company to lead the $341,000 project.

Dredging last took place there in 2019 – it typically happens every three to four years. As sand and silt washes downstream, sedimentation fills up the channel over time, so they need to get rid of it. The channel entrance will be dredged to 16 feet below low water datum, or base elevation.

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A construction truck and equipment have already been placed at Oval Beach in preparation for the project.

Crews plan on taking the leftover sand from the dredging and placing it along the Lake Michigan shoreline in the mile between the Saugatuck South Pier and through Oval Beach. It’s an effort aimed to fight erosion.

“This project is a great example of using a maintenance dredging as a vehicle to combat erosion and provide multiple positive outcomes for the community in Saugatuck,” said Liz Newell Wilkinson, operations manager at the Grand Haven Office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District. “We have worked with the state of Michigan to ensure this sediment is environmentally safe to nourish the Lake Michigan shoreline.”

The Army Corps said the sediment is safe for public health and the state has approved all the work.

The group is also asking the public to avoid any areas where dredging is taking place on the channel or where sand is being placed along the shore. It said signs and cones will be placed at worksites for guidance.

The project is expected to begin early next week. While it’s possible it could begin Monday, strong projected winds could delay the start until Tuesday.

All the construction is expected to wrap up July 19, though weather delays could push that back slightly as well.

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