Even though funding was in place to dredge Ninilchik this year, Homer and Ninil- chik harbors are contracted out as a package deal to make it a worthwhile project for the dredge owner. Lack of agreement with the city of Homer on a disposal site for the fill from the Homer dredging shut down both projects for the immediate future, and funding for Ninilchik for next year was cut from the federal budget.

Alan Churchill with the Army Corps of Engineers said having the city of Homer reject the disposal site made Ninilchik an unintended casualty.

"We had to get their (city of Homer) concurrence on the new disposal site that we had planned to construct, and be operational by this fall," he said. "They decided they didn't like the plan and wanted alternative analysis done, and, of course, that's basically brought everything to a screeching halt."

That's not the whole story, according to Port Director Bryan Hawkins. Hawkins said that the city had a long-term contract for a de-watering and fill disposal site across from the Pioneer dock on the Spit, which expired this spring. At the same time, the Corps was submitting its new 20-year plan, which put the fill site near Pier One Theater. That involved pumping dredge spoils 6,000 feet at increased cost and was not the city's preferred option.

"There were some questions that came up when we read their plans and looked over their drawings, and we submitted a list of questions to them," Hawkins said. "They were pretty basic, having to do with types of construction materials and responsibilities and things like that that we felt we needed to know before we signed off on it or went on to the next step. So we submitted those questions and we've been waiting for a reply, for quite a long time."

The present Corps plan for Homer harbor, according to project manager Kim Kuk, is to use a barge-mounted crane, and when it is loaded, take it to the barge harbor and offload the fill with front-end loaders, taking it to Pioneer dock site, although that may or may not end up being the permanent upland disposal site, depending upon negotiations with the city.

"That's the current plan; we're going to have to work through our contracting division to get a contract awarded," Kuk said. "See what equipment they have and how they propose to do the work. It may very well be that we may not be able to afford to dredge as much material even out of the entrance channel as we have in the past, depending upon what this operation costs."

The city would prefer to see a suction dredge used, along with the same de-watering site that has been used for the past several years. Hawkins said that the dredge that went to Dillingham is not the only one available. There is another one based on the lower Kenai Peninsula that is at least as big as the one that did the job in years past. The owners of that barge want to bid on the project, and Hawkins has put them in touch with the Corps.

Hawkins said it might be time for the city to take the reins in the process.

"I guess what we need to do is make a counter-proposal and try to come up with a short-term solution," he said. "We were waiting for a reply and that's not forthcoming, so I guess we need to come back to them again."

Regardless, it is too late for Ninilchik to get dredged this year. The floats are already in place and the bid process would take longer than the salmon season. The entrance channel was scraped out with a bulldozer, but that's of no help in the inner harbor, which is essentially a wide spot in the Ninilchik River, and silts in over the winter.

Even if a suction dredge is available for next year, the funding is not. It has been cut from the federal budget due to the "low use" status, according Kuk. That narrows the chances of being able to find other funding, he said.

"There are only two options for funding for Ninilchik, one is a congressional 'add' (earmark) to the 2010 budget," he said. "The other possibility is the stimulus money, and of course we don't even know if there's going to be another stimulus bill, but if there is, it might open up an opportunity. It's the first time we've ever had it not survive the cut from the president's budget, so that makes it tough."

Fishermen concerned about funding to dredge the Ninilchik should contact the Alaska congressional delegation. They can be contacted by going online at www.state.ak.us/local/CongressDelegation.shtml.

Cristy Fry has commercial fished in Homer since 1978. She also designs and builds gear for the industry. She currently longlines for halibut and gillnets salmon in upper Cook Inlet aboard the F/V Realist. She can be reached at realist468@gmail.com.