What to Know
- A $4.5 million dredging project is slated for the Schuylkill River, and organizers say it won't impact races.
- Rowers have complained for years that silt buildup creates an unfair playing field.
- The dredging is set to Start in August of this year. Organizers hope it'll be complete in 90 to 100 days.
After two decades, the silt buildup on the Schuylkill River will finally be getting cleaned up.
The dredging of the Schuylkill is part of a $4.5 million fundraising effort involving the city, state and private stakeholders. Officials hope the restoration will allow the various regattas to continue to be held at the river after racers and organizers complained of uneven lanes due to silt buildup.
Money to cover the project also came from local universities, the Schuylkill Navy boat club and individual donors.
"It really, I think, highlights the amazing support that we have for this asset. And it shows how when people come together and great collaborations happen, great things can happen," Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell said at a Wednesday morning news conference announcing the dredging project.
Efforts to dredge the river go back five years, but were stymied when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers refused to provide funding. Instead, the project had to turn to public-private partnerships to reach the requisite funding levels.
The last time the river was dredged was in 1999. Racers had complained that the silt buildup was compromising regattas by making some lanes shallower than others, said Tom Forkin, with the city's parks and recreation division. "The silt is creating an unfair playing field," he said.
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That aversion to racing on the Schuylkill raised the possibility of regattas being moved elsewhere, a decision that would have hurt the local economy by steering millions of dollars a year away from Philadelphia, Forkin said.
That sentiment was echoed by Mayor Jim Kenney. "These events are not only beloved traditions, but they have become economic development drivers for the tourism they bring to our city and to our region," he said.
Beyond the economic impact, Kenney also highlighted the community impact of regattas and pledged that the city will use a portion of the $4.5 million toward new programs to increase access for locals.
"We also want this project to demonstrate our administration's ardent commitment to increasing access to the Schuylkill River and the sport of rowing for all Philadelphians, especially those who have been traditionally underrepresented in the rowing community," Kenney said.
Dredging will take place along two portions of the river: in front of Boathouse Row and just above Strawberry Mansion Bridge. About 65,000 cubic yards of silt are expected to be removed, Forkin said.
The Army Corps of Engineers will oversee the dredging and will have the final say on who gets awarded the contract for the project.
Officials hope to start in August and complete the dredging within 90 to 100 days, Forkin said. Regattas will not be impacted, since contractors will be given "blackout" dates to halt dredging during races, he added.
