Two Rivers Harbor, Mar. 31, 2026. PC: Fox 11 Online
TWO RIVERS, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Five thousand feet of federally authorized harbor in Two Rivers is in need of maintenance.
According to City Manager Kyle Kordell, the harbor should be 18 feet deep.
“That depth of 18 feet has been eroded to more like 10 to eight feet in depth, which is a problem if left unattended for a long time,” said Kordell.
Kordell says the harbor should be dredged every five years. It was last done in 2020.
The dredging has been done by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. So, what’s the hold up?
“We are waiting on federal budget funding priorities in the federal budget, which we’re hoping could be approved by Congress sometime in April,” said Kordell.
The city first announced a likely delay until 2028 on March 11.
The harbor is a key to many local businesses like Susie Q fish market.
“We need to make sure the harbor stays open, not just for Susie Q, but for the charter fishing operations and for all the recreational boaters that come here to enjoy what we have to offer,” said Kordell.
Matt Gates runs a fishing vessel for High Life Charters.
“I think 30 charter boats in Two Rivers right now that run anywhere from, you know 30 to 100 trips some full-time guys are doing. I guess you could say even a hardship that that would bring to this to the local community,” said Gates.
In addition to the economic impact that could be felt without the dredging, Kordell and Gates say right now there’s a safety issue.
“You get into a swell coming in from the south and then where your props would hit the bottom and a lot of damage can happen. With our harbor being narrow the way it is, you can definitely see it could possibly spin me and put me on the rocks real bad,” said Gates. “The trawlers right now, they’re skimming the bottom already, you know. It’s dangerous already for them, but they’re still going and trying to make a living themselves.”
“We understand the Army Corps has a lot of harbors to take care of in the Great Lakes system, but we are way overdue, and we need them to pay attention to Two Rivers,” said Kordell.
The city is trying to take some steps of their own. March 30, the City Council of Two Rivers approved a three-year statement of intentions for harbor development.
Kordell said:
We’re going for three different projects in a state Harbor Assistance Program grant. It includes Harbor dredging is one of the key projects of course. It also includes a breakwater extension for the south jetty wall, which is the ultimate solution. If we want to stop the sand-shoaling from coming in off the lake, we need to do an extension of the breakwater. So, we’re applying for that as well. Then we’re also applying for Harbor Assistance Program funding for a sea wall reconstruction along the East Twin River, which if we can get that included too, that would really help with the Hamilton redevelopment project that we have going on down the road with whatever gets built on the Hamilton property. If we get Harbor Assistance Program funding, we would be combining that money with any help we can get from the Army Corps of Engineers. So, if we could stretch their dollar further, we’d be able to do more. Maybe that would mean dredging could go up the river a little bit as well and not just the 5,000 feet of Harbor.
Harbor dredging is expected to cost between $1-2 million.
Kordell says in the meantime, residents can reach out to local U.S. representatives. He added he hopes congressional pressure could move Two Rivers up the priority list.
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