Dredging of Neff Park Marina beginning in April will help level out the floor of Lake St. Clair to prevent boaters from running aground due to the significantly lower water levels.

The dredging project, slated to cost $27,968, gained approval by the City of Grosse Pointe council Monday following the recommendation by the Parks and Recreation Director Christopher Hardenbrook.

He explained the project to council, highlighting that the water level in the lake is approximately 20-inches lower than it was last year at this time. The City is not the only marina that will be dredged for similar reasons. Others include Grosse Pointe Woods, Grosse Pointe Yacht Club and therefore by default, Grosse Pointe Shores.

It will be dredge to remove about one cubic foot, he said, explaining it is an average. There are some areas that might not require any dredging and other areas that might require about two feet in order to level the lake floor out for boaters.

The project is currently awaiting federal permits from the Army Corps of Engineers, Hardenbrook said. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has already given the state level permits necessary, he said.

Provided the permits are approved, which Hardenbrook believes will happen, the project will begin in the end of April and hopefully be complete before most people put their boats in the water. While the marina technically opens April 1, most people put their boats in the water in May, Hardenbrook said.