News Release
| Release Number: | 00-020 |
| Dated: | 2/29/2000 |
| Contact: | Heidi Y. Helwig, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore.—The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking water quality certifications from the states of Oregon and Washington in connection with its plans to dredge the Columbia River Federal Navigation Channel in June. As a result, the Corps is providing the public two avenues to provide input on its annual maintenance dredging program: a public meeting and by mail. Comments must be received by March 15, 2000.
The public meeting, co-sponsored by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, will begin at 7 p.m. on March 14 at the Red Lion Inn on 400 Industry St., in Astoria, Ore. For a copy of the public notice that includes detailed information about the dredging work, call Jon Gornick at (503) 808-4341.
Written comments should be mailed to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District, Attn: CENWP-OP-NW, Jon Gornick, P.O. Box 2946, Portland, OR 97208-2946, or e-mailed to jon.m.gornick@usace.army.mil.
Annual dredging is done to maintain the shipping channel at its authorized depth of 40 feet and width of 600 feet. The work is normally done between March 1 and Nov. 30 each year. Plans call for dredging between river mile 3, near Astoria, Ore., through river mile 106.5 near Vancouver, Wash.
In an average year, about 35 miles of the total channel length needs dredging and 4 million cubic yards (cy) to 6 million cy of material is removed. The work and disposal of the material will be done in accordance with the recently coordinated Dredged Material Management Plan for the Columbia and Lower Willamette River Federal Navigation Channel. The dredged material will be placed in sites used in the past that have already been evaluated and approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service and other resource agencies for this purpose.
The Corps has consulted with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency at the federal level, and state agencies in Washington and Oregon regarding potential impacts on endangered species and the environment. Consultations with the states to determine the consistency of the project with the State Coastal Zone Management Program also are being done. A Water Quality Certification will be obtained from the states as required under the Clean Water Act.
Annual maintenance dredging is not related to the Columbia River Channel Improvements Project.