A team of engineers contracted by the federal Ministry of Communications and Transport (SCT) arrived in Chapala on Friday, May 22 to conduct a seven-day bathymetric study at the Chapala waterfront, marking a big step forward in plans to dredge the lake bottom with the aim of facilitating navigation around the city pier.
Utilizing a multibeam echosounder to map out the lakebed and measure water depth, the engineers sent in from Mexico City are recording data on a laptop computer for subsequent analysis back at company headquarters. The field study also involves determining an appropriate place to dispose of dredging wastes and the collecting of sediments samples to identify the mineral content.
According to Chapala Harbormaster Luis Jorge Ochoa, the 12-million-peso dredging project will get a green light from the General Direction of Ports for inclusion the SCT’s 2016 budget. The initiative formally requested by Mayor Joaquin Huerta more than a year ago has been steadily working its way through intricate government red tape.