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Dredging Dates
for Lake Merritt
Following are dates that Lake Merritt is known to have been dredged.
Without his expensive but necessary procedure the Lake would become a
shallow mudflat with increased quantities of widgeon grass, algae, and
odors.
Permit application procedures for dredging are complicated and typically
take one or more years to process. After the permits have been issued,
actual operations typically take several months or more to complete. The
last dredging operation was completed at a cost of over 1.5 million
dollars.
| Past Dredging Dates | ||
| 1893 | Three areas (80,000 cy). Spoils used to fill wetlands and mudflats. | |
| 1899-00 | 290,000 cubic yards | |
| 1909-11 | 492,000 cubic yards (general clearing and deepening). | |
| 1921-24 | 900,000 cubic yards removed; refuge island created. | |
| 1934 | Unknown quantity | |
| 1953 | At least 35,000 cubic yards removed. | |
| 1964-5 | 35,000 cubic yards removed. | |
| 1972 | Entire Lake dredged; seven months to complete; 50,000 scoops. | |
| 1985 | Entire Lake dredged; 160,000 cubic yards; $2,150,000 | |
| 1997 | Major storm drain inlets only; 25,000 cubic yards; over $1,500,000. | |
Date next dredging potentially scheduled: 2009
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