NEW BUFFALO, Mich. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled to begin maintenance dredging in the federal navigation channel in New Buffalo Harbor on Sunday, and beachgoers and boaters are encouraged to avoid the active dredging areas for their safety.

Officials say the dredging will remove about 15,000 cubic yards of shoaling in the harbor, which will be then used for renourishment about 1,500 feet south of the South Breakwater.

Dredged material will be placed from the shoreline to about eight feet deep in Lake Michigan. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy previously approved a water quality certification for sediment to be placed in the area with a Section 401 water quality certification, engineers said.

“Maintenance dredging presents an excellent opportunity to nourish beaches from erosion at New Buffalo Harbor,” said Liz Newell Wilkinson, the operations manager at the Grand Haven Office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District.

“We are able to support both marine traffic and our Lake Michigan beaches at the same time with these important projects. It is a win-win for southwest Michigan.”

Boater and swimmers alike are encouraged to avoid the active dredging areas, especially the outfall from the dredging pipe where conditions take on a quicksand-like condition.

Officials say the public should adhere to safety buoys, caution tape and signs around the construction site.

Recreational boating traffic in the harbor may see delays during active dredging due to the narrow harbor.

King Co., of Holland, was awarded the $465,000 contract for the project. They will use two 12-hour shifts to complete the work as quickly as possible.

Dredging is scheduled to conclude June 7, pending weather conditions.