Congresswoman Louise Slaughter gathered with officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard and cement maker EssRoc to announce the dredging of the harbor is complete.
Slaughter secured federal funding for the dredging this year and next.
She says it's vital the silt is cleared from the waterway to allow for boat and ship traffic.
"If the silt were to back this up to the point where the heavy boats could not get in, it would have a dreadful effect on the economy of Rochester," she said.
Slaughter points to EssRoc Ready Mix as an example.
It brings in about $10 million dollars worth of trade to this community each year.
Vice President of Logistics for EssRoc, Brian Costenbader, says it's gratifying that the Congresswoman was able to secure the funding for the U.S Army Corps of Engineers so they can keep the harbor open as a federal navigation channel.
"It was not long ago that our first load of the season ran aground coming in, so it created a real touchy situation for the first part of the year."
Costenbader explains in the past his company would have to make partial trips here, but thanks to the dredging, EssRoc can deliver a full load, at a cost savings of 20 to 30 percent.
Here's Congresswoman Slaughter on the importance of dredging the harbor:
US Army Corps of Engineers still taking silt out of the river: