No dredging means Leland Harbor may be less accessible
This week's Enterprise reports that a lack of federal funding for dredging the harbor entrance may result in larger boats not being able to access Leland.
Michael Grosvenor has watched the entrance to the Leland Harbor fill with sand, and his fears are being shared by others who worry that boats' access to the marina may be severely limited...
"One good storm, or a good blow from the southwest, and no one will be able to get in or out of the harbor," Grosvenor said.
Harbormaster Russell Dzuba said Tuesday the harbor entrance is usually dredged to a uniform depth of about 10 feet. "The harbor entrance is usually 140 feet wide. After the big three-day storm we had a couple weeks ago, it's down to about 30 feet wide," he said. The depth through the 30-foot wide channel is six to seven feet.
Read No federal dredging aid for Leland: Harbor use threatened in the Leelanau Enterprise.
This is really bad news for boating based tourism in Leelanau County and other N. Michigan communities. It's a real shame because Leland is one of the finest marina destinations along the coast. Other harbors like Arcadia, Pentwater, Onekama are also ports that will close without dredging. Tourism & boating based businesses will suffer. Another example of short-sighted politicians.
Comment by jsorbie — April 20, 2007 @ 4:18 pm