The municipality has begun its annual dredging of the Snye to keep the water clear and usable by boats and watercraft.

Excavators will be clearing sediment that has been deposited by the current of the Clearwater River and depositing it on Snye Point.

Materials removed from the river will only be hauled away once it has been de-watered.

Up to 4,000 cubic metres of silt are removed from the mouth of the Snye each year.

Last year, dredging had an average depth of 1.5 metres of silt removed according to Greg Bennett, Strategist with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

Bennett says that if clearing were not done each year, the connection between the Snye and the Clearwater River could become impassable by watercraft.

The parking lot adjacent to Snye Point will be closed while crews use it as a lay down area and for equipment storage.

There will be no vehicle access to Snye Point or the parking lot during the dredging operation. 

Dredging and sediment removal from the river mouth is expected to be completed by mid-September.