News Release
| Release Number: | 06-133 |
| Dated: | 9/15/2006 |
| Contact: | Diana J. Fredlund, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied several in-stream gravel mining permit applications Wednesday for work in Douglas County, Ore.
Five applications were requested by divisions of LTM, Inc., which included Tri-City Ready Mix, Inc., Bracelin-Yeager, Inc. and Beaver State Sand and Gravel; five other applications were requested by Umpqua Sand and Gravel, Umpqua Excavation and Paving, the City of Myrtle Creek, Mr. and Mrs. Buckwater, and Mr. Orval Allen.
The permit requests proposed removing more than 200,000 cubic yards of sand and gravel for commercial purposes from the Umpqua and South Umpqua rivers in Douglas County per year. Because all applications are located within the same watershed, the Corps consolidated its evaluation of the proposed actions. The Corps is required by the Environmental Protection Agency to assess the cumulative impacts to the environment under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, as well as the individual impacts of each proposed action.
"After a careful review of the permit applications and proposed work, the Corps determined the project would have unacceptable adverse impacts to the river and associated waters of the United States," said Lawrence Evans, chief of Portland District's Regulatory Branch. "We also believe there are available alternatives, which do not have such adverse impacts. For this reason and due to the size and magnitude of the proposed removal, the Corps does not find these projects to be in the best public interest."
The Corps based its decision to deny the permit requests on several factors, including that the volume of material proposed is considered to be unsustainable and could lead to adverse changes in aquatic and riparian habitat.
The Corps encourages all applicants to review the Corps' decision and findings, seek less harmful alternatives, revise their current scope of work and re-submit their proposals for future consideration.
One of the Corps’ primary missions is to safeguard the nation’s waterways, said Col. Thomas O’Donovan, Portland District commander. “We carefully weighed the various public interest factors and could not, in good conscience, issue these permits for work that could have such adverse impacts to the river,” O’Donovan said.
“We realize that denying these permits may affect the local community, but the Corps has an obligation to protect the nation's aquatic resources,” Evans said. “We are not denying all dredging or sand and gravel removal in the river, just the project proposals submitted to us in these permit applications.”
For a copy of the Corps' Environmental Assessment and Statement of Findings, which describes the Corps' decision in detail, please write to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CENWP-OD-GP (Attn: Teena Monical), 1600 Executive Parkway, Suite 210, Eugene, OR 97401-2156.
The permit evaluation process includes a public notice with a public comment period. In its application evaluations, the Corps is required by law to consider all factors involving the public interest. These may include environmental concerns, economics, historical values, fish and wildlife, aesthetics, flood damage prevention, land use classifications, navigation, recreation, water supply, water quality, energy needs, food production and the general welfare of the public.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has an administrative appeal process whereby applicants and landowners may appeal denied permits. The applicant may appeal a decision to the Northwestern Division office. Requests for appeal must be furnished to the Division office within 60 days of the date of the decision being appealed.