Clearwater Pass dredging begins, is promptly delayed by equipment problems

The boat channel through Clearwater Pass, a much-used route to and from the Gulf of Mexico, is getting shallow from a buildup of sand swept in by the tides. In some spots, the water is only 5 feet deep, Tampa Bay Times reported.

A long-delayed dredging of the channel has finally begun. But now it's being hampered by technical difficulties.

A dredging vessel sent by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers got a few days of work done before it had mechanical problems with a propulsion unit.

Then a thousand-pound ducted propeller called a "Kort nozzle" became detached from the boat and sank to the bottom of the pass. The vessel has retreated to a shipyard in Tarpon Springs for repairs.

The dredging started on Aug. 6. At this point, it probably won't be done until mid-September.

The channel was last dredged 10 years ago. These days, boaters braving the channel have dinged propellers, dragged keels and run aground.