DELPHOS, OHIO -
A portion of the Miami-Erie canal in Delphos will soon be dredged and turned into a fishing lagoon.
Safety services director, Greg Berquist, says dredging will begin on the canal between First and Second streets in the village once the rain clears up. The work was planned to begin Tuesday, however, the wet conditions made the work unsafe. Crews will also add a layer of stone rip-rap around the canal. The work is expected to take one to two weeks to complete.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is supplying some of the dredging equipment. The village is also helping with the effort, as are private individuals and the canal commission. The sludge will be removed and an area farmer will spread the material on fields.
Berquist expects as much as 800 cubic yards of sludge and debris to be removed from the canal. Earlier in the summer, some residents criticized ODNR for draining the canal and allowing a large number of fish to die.
