Lake & Pond Dredging
Restore depth for boating, fishing and swimming. Our own 10″ cutter-suction dredge pumps silt up to miles away — no trucks.
Bonded & insured · Serving West Michigan since 2013
Lake Dredging & Seawall Experts in West Michigan
Silted-in lake? Failing seawall? Losing your shoreline? We fix it — and we handle every permit for you. One call. One team. Start to finish.
- Own hydraulic dredge — no middleman
- EGLE & Army Corps permits done for you
- Honest price — no surprise add-ons
- Heavy-gauge steel. No short-sheeting.
200,000
cubic yards dredged on a single lake job
200-ton
oversize loads moved on public highways
40+ yrs
team experience in Great Lakes construction
100%
of permits handled for you
Sound familiar?
Your waterfront is losing value every season you wait.
Silt builds up. Seawalls lean. Shorelines wash away. Each year it gets harder — and more expensive — to fix.
- ✕ Your boat can't reach the dock anymore
- ✕ The lake is shallow, weedy or smells bad
- ✕ Your seawall is leaning, rusting or leaking soil
- ✕ Your yard or bluff is washing into the water
- ✕ You don't know which permits you need — or where to start
Free tool
How Much Do You Need to Dredge?
Enter your area below. See your volume in seconds — then get a free, detailed estimate report from our team.
Estimated volume to remove
2,667 yd³
Dump-truck loads*
223
Area
0.55 ac
Likely best method
Hydraulic dredging
Pumps silt through a pipeline — no trucks on your roads.
*Based on ~12 yd³ per 3-axle dump truck. Volume = length × width × depth ÷ 27.
Unlock your full Estimate Report
Budget range · permit list · settling-pond size · timeline
What we do
Marine Construction Services in West Michigan
From a single seawall to a full lake restoration — one experienced team, our own equipment, and permits handled.
Seawall Installation & Repair
Steel, vinyl, aluminum or wood. Heavy-gauge sheet driven deep with real tiebacks — built to last decades in Michigan ice.
Dam Repair & Rebuild
Leaking or failing dam? We design, permit and rebuild — sheet-pile cores, spillways and culverts. Grant-funded projects welcome.
Shoreline Erosion Control
Rock revetments installed to the drawings — and Shore Savers™, our patented concrete system that keeps your beach usable.
Marina & Channel Dredging
Low Great Lakes water? Keep slips and channels open. Precise mechanical dredging in tight spaces between docks.
Building Moving & Heavy Hauling
Houses, barns, tanks and vessels. 135-ton unified jacking system, in-house engineering, route permits and escorts handled.
Free downloads
Plan Smarter. Download Our Free Guides.
Straight answers from people who build this every day. No fluff. No sales pitch.
2026 EDITION
Michigan Seawall Cost & Buyer's Guide
CONTRACTORS MARINE
Seawall Cost & Buyer's Guide
- ✔ What drives price per foot
- ✔ Steel vs vinyl vs aluminum vs wood
- ✔ 7 questions to ask any contractor
- ✔ Red flags: thin gauge & short-sheeting
CHECKLIST
Michigan Waterfront Permit Checklist
EGLE + USACE · JPA
Waterfront Permit Checklist
- ✔ Which permits your project needs
- ✔ Joint Permit Application step-by-step
- ✔ Realistic 2–6 month timeline
- ✔ How to avoid costly delays
FOR LAKE BOARDS
Lake Restoration & Dam Funding Playbook
ASSESSMENTS · GRANTS
Lake & Dam Funding Playbook
- ✔ Forming a lake improvement board
- ✔ Special assessment districts explained
- ✔ Michigan dam safety grant basics
- ✔ Sample project budget worksheet
Simple process
From First Call to Finished Project
-
1
Call or request
Tell us what's going on. You talk to a real expert, not a call center.
-
2
Free site evaluation
We visit or review your photos. We'll tell you if there's a cheaper way.
-
3
Clear proposal + permits
A written price with no hidden extras. We file every permit for you.
-
4
We build it right
Our own crew and equipment. On time, on budget, done right the first time.
~50,000 yd³
of silt removed
Case study · Mirror Lake, Michigan
A dead lake brought back to life
Problem: A 12-acre private lake filled with silt. No boating. No fishing.
Solution: Sediment testing, EGLE permit, a 4.5-acre spoils pond about ½ mile away, and our hydraulic dredge pumping ~50,000 yd³.
Result: The lake was usable right away — now stocked and producing quality fishing.
- Lake size
- 12 ac
- Pipeline
- ½ mile
- Spoils pond
- 4.5 ac
Why Property Owners Choose Contractors Marine
Most marine companies build docks and seawalls. We do the hard jobs too.
| What you get | Contractors Marine | Typical seawall company |
|---|---|---|
| Own hydraulic dredge | ✓ | Rarely |
| All permits handled (EGLE + Army Corps) | ✓ | Sometimes |
| Dam repair & rebuild experience | ✓ | Rarely |
| Building moving & 135-ton jacking | ✓ | No |
| Heavy-gauge sheet, no short-sheeting | ✓ | Varies |
| Construction drawings for every project | ✓ | Varies |
"Returned calls, completed project on time and budget, very knowledgeable and professional!"
Service areas
Seawalls & Dredging Near You in West Michigan
Based in Fruitport, we work from White Lake to Lake Macatawa. Pick your area to see the lakes we work on, the local permits and answers to common questions.
Muskegon, MI
20 minMuskegon Lake, Mona Lake, Bear Lake and the Lake Michigan shore.
🌊 Muskegon Lake · Mona Lake · Bear Lake
Muskegon services →Spring Lake & Fruitport, MI
HomeOur home lake — from Fruitport to the Grand River.
🌊 Spring Lake (main lake) · Fruitport End & Canals · Grand River & Ferrysburg
Spring Lake & Fruitport services →Grand Haven, MI
20 minGrand River, harbor marinas, Pigeon Lake and Lake Michigan.
🌊 Grand River Frontage · Harbor & Marina Slips · Lake Michigan Shoreline
Grand Haven services →Whitehall & Montague, MI
35 minWhite Lake, Duck Lake and the northern Lake Michigan shore.
🌊 White Lake · White River Mouth & Bays · White Lake Marinas
Whitehall & Montague services →Holland, MI
40 minLake Macatawa, Pigeon Lake, Kalamazoo Lake and the lakeshore.
🌊 Lake Macatawa · Macatawa Marinas · Lake Michigan Shoreline
Holland services →Don't see your lake?
We take dredging, dam and heavy-haul projects across Michigan and the Great Lakes region.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you handle the permits?
Yes. We prepare the drawings, surveys and the Michigan Joint Permit Application (EGLE + U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), plus local soil-erosion and zoning permits.
How long do permits take in Michigan?
Most waterfront permits in Michigan are issued in about 2 to 6 months. Starting early is the best way to hit your construction window.
How much does lake dredging cost?
It depends mostly on cubic yards removed, distance to the spoils site, access and mobilization. Use our free calculator to get your volume, then request a free estimate.
Which seawall material is best for Michigan?
Steel sheet piling is the most common choice: strong, long-lasting in heavier gauges, and good in ice. Vinyl, aluminum and wood each fit specific situations.
What areas do you serve?
We're based in Fruitport and serve West Michigan, including Muskegon, Grand Haven, Spring Lake, Holland, Whitehall and Grand Rapids-area lakes, plus larger projects across the Great Lakes region.
Do you work with lake associations and townships?
Yes. We work with lake boards, associations, townships and engineers on lake dredging and dam projects — including projects funded by special assessment districts or grants.
Ready to Fix Your Waterfront — the Right Way?
Free estimate. Honest advice. Permits handled. Book now to get on next season's schedule.