Wednesday, January 23, 2013
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has extended five sand dredging permits for the Kansas River for one year.
The corps says in a news release that three other dredging permits will end in May between Eudora and the Bowersock Dam in Lawrence because the riverbed has dropped more than 2 feet.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports the current dredging permits authorized five companies to dredge 2.2 million tons annually. The permits expired at the end of last year, but the companies sought reauthorization and wanted to dredge 3.2 million tons of sand.
An environmental consulting firm hired by the companies is expected to report on the environmental impact by early March.
The conservation group Friends of the Kaw wants the corps to stop all dredging on the river.
