Port to apply to dredge berths.

After nearly a year of engineering reports and paperwork, the Port of Olympia will soon apply for permission to dredge the water along the port’s berths. Application is expected by mid-month, with approval and work starting by December 2013 or January 2014.

It’s been nearly 30 years since the port has dredged it’s harbor and the sediment buildup has decreased the berthing area by 10 feet. Ships have been forced to arrive and leave with lighter loads and the result is an uncertain future without the dredging.

“We have to dredge the berths,” said the port’s executive director Ed Galligan. “It’s the cash cow which allows us to expand our services to other sections of the county.”

The berths will be dredged to 38 feet with an expected cost of $6 million. Also included in the proposal is dredging of Swantown Marina. If the entire port facility were to be dredged, the cost would be closer to $30 million.

The channel and turning basin is the responsibility of the federal government and is not part of the proposal.