(Host) The breakwater at the mouth of Plattsburgh Harbor on Lake Champlain will be rebuilt this fall using money from the federal stimulus package.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it’s awarded a $1.9 million contract for the work.
Bill Petronis is chief of the Corps of Engineers’ Albany office.
(Petronis) "The breakwater itself is in disrepair. For over the past six or seven years we’ve been tyring to get funds to complete the repair that was started back in 2003."
(Host) A Potsdam, New York, company will repair portions of the breakwater that have deteriorated or settled.
The 1,500-foot-long wall protects the harbor from wind-driven waves coming off the broad lake.
It should stand about two to three feet above the water level, but stones have shifted and the lake bed has settled in some spots.
The breakwater off the Plattsburgh lakeshore is similar to the one off Burlington, although it is smaller.
Petronis says work will probably begin in September. It may not be complete until next year.