BELLINGHAM, WA – (MyBellinghamNow.com) Port of Bellingham contractors are gearing up to clean more of Bellingham’s waterfront.

Dredging work in the waters of the Bellingham Shipping Terminal, known as the Whatcom Waterway, will begin next Monday.

Federal funding granted to the Port of Bellingham allowed for that particular area to be cleared earlier than originally planned.

Following the first round of dredging, the Port will be completing other projects at the terminal starting in April.

More dredge work is expected to take place in August.

Studies of the area’s sediment have shown high levels of mercury and other toxic compounds within the waters of Bellingham Bay.

Other sections of the Whatcom Waterway were cleared of toxic sediment in 2016.

A map of the Whatcom Waterway Site Areas in Bellingham Bay. Courtesy of WA Dept. of Ecology.