News Release
| Release Number: | 00-137 |
| Dated: | 8/8/2000 |
| Contact: | Heidi Y. Helwig, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore.—The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved today a permit that will allow the operators of the Buena Vista Ferry to clear a path through a gravel bar that has kept the ferry tied up since early July. The permit, called a letter of permission, authorizes the removal of about 150 cubic yards of material from a Willamette River gravel bar near Albany, Ore. The material will be removed with a barge-mounted dragline or clamshell dredge.
Consultations between the Corps and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) were completed late Friday, giving the Corps the go-ahead to issue the permit for the dredging. Consultation still had to be completed, however, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); that consultation was completed earlier today. The NMFS concurred with the issuance of the permit, providing the Corps required the removed gravel be placed near the river above the mean high water line in a non-wetland area. Though the placement area will be outside of the Corps’ jurisdiction, "We had to ensure the applicant understands the material cannot be placed back into a wetland, which would require yet another permit," said Don Borda, chief of the Corps’ Permitting Branch.
The applicant, Marion County Public Works, was notified by fax as soon as the permit was approved.
The Corps has worked closely with NMFS and the USFWS to move this project as quickly as possible through the required processes, said Dan Gresham, a regulatory specialist with the Corps’ Portland District. "We really appreciate their fast action. They have a very heavy workload of Endangered Species Act consultations,"
There were many public requests for the Corps to issue a permit for the work that will allow the ferry to operate. It was critical, however, for the Corps to first consult with resource agencies to determine what effects on endangered species and their habitat the work might have, Borda said. The ESA consultations revealed that the affects would be minimal, he said.
The Corps’ permit authorizes gravel removal to begin immediately.