Frenchman's Bay dredging pushed to spring after permit delay

The survey was commissioned in March and returned in July. The permit window it was meant to support closed in June.

The harbour authority has begun telling members to plan for a second shallow season. For the deepest-draft boats at the west end that means hauling out early, again.

The city says the work is funded and scheduled. Funded and scheduled is what it was last year.

The delay is procedural rather than financial. The sediment survey has to be current for the permit application, the application has to clear a federal window, and the window closed while the survey was still with the consultant.

The harbour authority has asked the city to commission next year's survey in November rather than March. The city has said it will consider it, which is the answer it gave last November.

The bay silts at a rate that has been measured since the nineties and has not changed much. What has changed is the permitting: work that used to be authorised locally now needs a federal sign-off that runs on a fixed annual window, and missing the window costs a year rather than a month.

For the marina that means a second season of turning away deeper boats. For the sailing club it means the waiting list gets longer, which is a story elsewhere in this issue.