$2 million Manistee Harbor maintenance project begins

The MV Calumet leaves Manistee Harbor on Aug. 7, 2025.

MANISTEE — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District began maintenance work on the Manistee Harbor federal channel April 16.

The project includes placing about 3,000 tons of stone to reduce wave energy and overtopping, along with installing new timber fenders along 1,800 feet of the North Revetment near the U.S. Coast Guard Station Manistee. The work is expected to take about two months.

Manistee Harbor serves as a deep-draft commercial shipping port and a harbor of refuge for recreational boaters on Lake Michigan.

“Improving resiliency in Manistee has been a Corps of Engineers focus for the past several years, including annual dredging projects and now infrastructure maintenance,” said Liz Wilkinson, operations manager for the Grand Haven Area Office. “Hardening structures with major stonework will protect the harbor for years to come and lowers its risk from unpredictable Great Lakes weather events.”

The improvements are funded at approximately $1.98 million through the fiscal year 2025 president’s budget and work plan.

The Lake Michigan Floating Plant, assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District, deployed to Manistee last week to complete the work. The crew specializes in large stone placement projects along the western Lake Michigan shoreline.

The project includes placing splash stone along the North Revetment to minimize wave action, scour stone along the South Breakwater Connector to prevent erosion below the structure, and armor stone at the South Breakwater Head to protect the structure above normal water levels.

Crews will also replace damaged safety ladders and railings along the North Revetment.

During construction, the South Breakwater Connector will be closed for several weeks. Officials are asking the public to follow posted signage, fencing and navigation notices while work is underway in the channel.

The Detroit District, established in 1841, oversees 3,150 miles of shoreline and 81 harbors and channels connecting lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, St. Clair and Erie. The district also provides regulatory oversight throughout Michigan and parts of Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

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