News Release
| Release Number: | 01-058 |
| Dated: | 4/26/2001 |
| Contact: | Heidi Y. Helwig, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore.- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is evaluating a permit application from Glacier Northwest to remove sand and gravel from the Willamette River near river mile 8.
The applicant is seeking authority to remove by dredge up to 1,000 cubic yards of material each year for five years from a 50-foot by 50-foot area of the Willamette River to a depth of -13 feet Columbia River Datum. The proposed dredging work is required to recover sand and gravel spilled from barge unloading operations and to maintain adequate depths for waterway passage. The removed material will be reclaimed through the hopper and conveyor system and placed upland on Glacier Northwest's property for processing. The Corps will require sediment testing of the area to be dredged as part of its permit evaluation.
The Corps also is requesting public review and comment on the proposed project prior to making its permitting decision for the work.
For a copy of the Corps' Public Notice 2001-00310, which describes the proposed project in detail, please write to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CENWP-OP-GP, P.O. Box 2946, Portland, OR 97208-2946. A copy of the public notice is posted on the Corps' Internet site at https://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/op/g/notices/200000708.pdf. Photocopies of drawings supporting the proposed project are included in the public notice.
Written comments must reach the Corps by May 7, 2001, and should be mailed to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Attn: CENWP-OP-GP (Judy Linton) P.O. Box 2946, Portland, Ore., 97208-2946. Send e-mail comments to judy.l.linton@usace.army.mil.
The Corps also is soliciting input from federal, state and local agencies and officials, Indian tribes, and other interested parties to help permit reviewers consider and evaluate the impacts of this proposed project on endangered species, historic properties, water quality, general environmental effects, and other public interest factors.
The Corps will evaluate the permit request under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act. Also, because the proposed activity may affect an endangered or threatened species or its critical habitat, the applicant must meet certain terms and conditions of a Biological Opinion issued by the National Marines Fisheries Service. The Biological Opinion is the result of a programmatic consultation conducted with NMFS that covered 15 categories of activities, including dredge and fill removal work.