Mona Lake Improvement Association (MLIA) awarded a contract for dredging the entire length of the channel from the Lake Harbor bridge to Lake Michigan.
This dredging project is expected to be completed around April 29.
The MLIA has a permit for dredging the Western 500 feet of the channel but it was not necessary in the last three years. Periodic dredging of the channel is funded entirely from voluntary contributions.
In contrast, Muskegon and Grand Haven Harbors are dredged by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) who were funded with $1.5 million dollars of federal funding in 2009 for maintenance of those two harbors.
The 2013 budget carries $2M for dredging these harbors. Mona Lake does not receive any federal money for channel maintenance and must even pay $500 for the MDEQ permit.
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Press Release, April 23, 2013