Tarpon Springs lobbying for dredging money

City begins pushing for needed maintenance of Anclote River

TARPON SPRINGS – The city of Tarpon Springs has begun the process of lobbying for federal funding needed to dredge the Anclote River – maintenance that will keep the waterfront a working port.

The project falls under the responsibility of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is eligible for federal funding; it will cost an estimated $4.3 million to restore the channel, explained Bob Robertson, the city's manager for the project during an update to the commission May 3. However, it falls to the city to formally request the maintenance dredging and secure land to dump the dredging spoils at an estimated cost of $750,000 to $1 million.

The city's new Marine Commerce Committee, charged with pushing the dredging project forward, has begun a public outreach effort. They also secured a letter from U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Florida, requesting the Army Corps of Engineers begin the dredging project – the first step in what likely will be a yearlong process.