The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Seattle District has announced plans for the FY26 Willapa Harbor Maintenance Dredging Project, a federal effort to maintain navigational access at key harbors in southwest Washington. The project, valued between $5 million and $10 million, is expected to be bid as a firm-fixed-price construction contract.
According to the presolicitation notice, the work will address three federal navigation features within Willapa Bay, including the entrance to Tokeland Marina, the Nahcotta entrance channel, and the Bay Center entrance channel and basin. Dredging operations are scheduled to begin in July 2026, with all in-water work required to be completed by February 15, 2027.
The scope of work includes mechanical dredging of approximately 180,000 cu.yd. of accumulated sediment to restore authorized depths that range from -10’ to -15’ mean lower low water, depending on location. An additional 10,000 cubic yards may be removed from the Palix River thalweg to ensure adequate depth for dredge and tugboat access to disposal sites.
Dredged material will be transported by bottom-dump barge and placed at the Cape Shoalwater and/or South Channel open-water disposal sites within Willapa Bay, USACE said. Work windows vary by location:
- Tokeland Marina: July 16, 2026 – Feb. 15, 2027
- Nahcotta: July 16, 2026 – Feb. 1, 2027
- Bay Center and Palix River: July 16, 2026 – Sept. 30, 2026
The notice emphasizes that contractors should expect challenging operating conditions. Access to Willapa Bay requires navigating the Willapa Bar, an unmaintained and unprotected inlet from the Pacific Ocean characterized by shifting shoals, strong tidal currents, and frequent storms. Aids-to-navigation in the area have been removed due to unreliable conditions, increasing the risk of groundings or vessel accidents during mobilization and dredging.
