St. Joseph City Commissioners are being asked to get to work on addressing shallow water in the St. Joseph River, about nine months after they voted to form a new harbor authority with St. Joseph Township and Benton Harbor to manage dredging projects.
At their regular meeting Monday, commissioners heard from residents and boat launch users who said the need for dredging is severe. Launch user Jim Schultz said with no city representatives yet appointed to the harbor authority board, it seems like the issue has fallen through the cracks.
“If something is not done to improve the clearance for boats in the river, your boat launch is going to be almost unusable,” Schultz said. “This is a very serious problem.”
Resident Kathy Christensen said the north side of the island has been especially bad, keeping it off limits for many boaters.
“There’s a lot of boats that three feet is pretty much like the average draft, and they can’t go there safely,” Christensen said. “I mean, they just can’t. And that’s a lot of money on the line for repairs if you bottom out or hit something.”
City Manager Emily Hackworth said Monday a form to seek applicants for the harbor authority board will soon be posted online. She said the city will have two representatives on that body, one of which can be an elected official. Commissioners then agreed to make their first appointments to the authority board next month.
The city commission approved the articles of incorporation for the new St. Joseph River Harbor Authority in March. It will manage recreational dredging of the river and have the power to make land use recommendations nearby, accept grants and donations, and recommend regulations for use of the river. It can also raise money for dredging.
