The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin maintenance dredging of the federal Grays Harbor Inner Harbor Navigation Channel on Monday.

Approximately 1.8 million cubic yards of material will be dredged via clamshell dredge from the channel over a period of about three years. Roughly 600,000 cubic yards of material is expected to be dredged during each of three separate work windows.

Dredged material will be transported by barge to either the South Jetty or the Point Chehalis open water placement sites. The material has been tested, and the Corps prepared a biological evaluation and National Environmental Protection Act documentation in accordance with the federal and state requirements.

The Corps awarded this three-year dredging contract to HME Construction, which amounts to $4.2 million for the first of three work windows.

Boaters in the area should be cautious and avoid the dredge and barge operations and pass the dredging operations slowly. The dredging will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week and the first work window will be completed by Feb. 14.