Improving water access to Lake Ontario is the goal of the $300 million state Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative, or REDI.
Gov. Kathy Hochul's office announced Monday that a $15 million portion of that project is now underway, with the dredging of a navigation channel in Oak Orchard Harbor at Point Breeze, north of Albion in Orleans County.
The dredging project will remove built-up sediment from the bottom of the waterway to allow for continued safe passage of watercraft into the lake, to support the tourism economy and preserve wildlife in the region.
Extreme weather and flooding have caused much damage along Lake Ontario over the past several years. REDI is designed to help lakeside communities recover.
Nine out of 20 dredging projects have been completed so far, including Golden Hill State Park in the Niagara County town of Somerset. Future projects are scheduled for Olcott Harbor in Niagara County and Johnson Creek in Orleans County, plus other locations farther east.
