News Release
| Release Number: | 00-140 |
| Dated: | 8/9/2000 |
| Contact: | Heidi Y. Helwig, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is evaluating an application for work needed to maintain drainage ditches in Curry County, Ore. As part of its permit evaluation process, the Corps is requesting public comments on the proposed project prior to making its determination on whether to issue or deny a permit for the work.
The applicant is seeking authorization to remove up to 4,500 cubic yards of accumulated sediment from wetland pasture drainage ditches. The Corps will determine if the proposed project meets standards of the Clean Water Act, the Rivers and Harbors Act and the Coastal Zone Management Act. Consultations required under the Endangered Species Act must be completed before a permit could be issued.
If permitted, the Corps would require the applicant to place the removed sediment in a layer no more than three inches thick over 11 acres of wetland pasture, a thickness deemed safe to preserve the wetlands. If the work is performed, a follow-up inspection will be done to verify the integrity of the wetlands. The area also will be reseeded. The applicant must use land-based equipment from one side of the channel and may only remove recently deposited sediment which is usually free of any vegetation; no additional deepening or widening would be authorized.
Other conditions of the permit, if issued, include performing the work in a way that will prevent any petroleum products or other chemicals from entering the water, and taking care to minimize turbidity in the water to protect aquatic life and the current water quality. All work must be completed within the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s in-water work period, which extends from July 15 to September 15 of each year—a time when fish listed under the Endangered Species Act are few or absent.
For a copy of the Corps’ public notice, 1999-01501, 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.
The notice, which includes drawings supporting the proposed project, also is on the Corps’ Internet site at https://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/op/g/notices/199901501.pdf.
Written comments should reach the Corps by August 30, 2000, and should be mailed to
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Attn: CENWP-OP-GP (Ron Marg), P.O. Box 2946, Portland, OR 97208-2946. Send e-mail comments to ron.e.marg@usace.army.mil.
The Corps also is soliciting comments from federal, state and local agencies and officials, Native American tribes, and other interested parties.