Overview
Welcome to the website we have established to keep you informed about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ efforts to repair the jetties at the Mouth of the Columbia River (MCR).
The Corps of Engineers has been involved in improving navigation at the MCR since the 1870s. Early work at the mouth included detailed surveys of the Columbia River bar and the construction of jetties. Eventually the work included dredging a navigation channel from the ocean to the estuary.
The Corps maintains three rubble-mound jetties at the MCR. Their design -- boulders stacked one on top of another and extending out into the ocean -- is simple. Their purpose, on the other hand, is more critical. These structures not only accelerate the flow of the river, helping maintain the depth and orientation of the navigation channel, they also provide protection for ships of all sizes (both commercial and recreational) entering and leaving the estuary.
The forces of nature have taken their toll on the structural integrity of the jetties, but the Corps is working at restoring the jetties to acceptable levels of reliability. Interim repairs to the North Jetty at the mouth of the Columbia River were completed in 2005 and a new contract has been awarded to begin interim repairs to the South Jetty at the mouth of the Columbia River ; repair work should be completed by October 2007.
This website will help you learn more about the MCR jetties -- their past, what is happening now, and estimated future trends. This information is to give you a factual portrait of the challenges and concerns, and what the Corps is doing to address them in maintaining the jetties.
If you have ideas that would make this website more useful to you, please let us know.
You're invited to e-mail your comments or questions to the Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers DLL-CENWPQuestions@nwp01.usace.army.mil.