News Release
| Release Number: | 08-118 |
| Dated: | 7/30/2008 |
| Contact: | Jennifer A. Sowell, 503-808-4510 |
PORTLAND, Ore. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, along with the Columbia River Channel Improvement Project sponsor ports, have come up with a solution allowing mitigation to move forward solely on lands already in project ownership.
No longer looking to acquire Martin Island, the Corps and the ports will focus mitigation on Cottonwood Island and the Chumbley property in the Woodland Bottoms. These two properties, combined with an expansion of the Webb mitigation site in Oregon, meet all of the project requirements without acquiring land from unwilling sellers.
Shifting the mitigation site required extensive coordination with state and federal agencies and Corps headquarters.
“This has been a long and difficult journey, but we are happy that we have found a solution that meets both the federal objective and the property owner’s wishes,” said Laura Hicks, project manager.
Public hearings in May resulted in a decision by the ports to hold off on the eminent domain process and continue searching for a mutually agreeable solution.
Cottonwood Island is a 650-acre island, currently being used as a disposal site for the project. Within a 128-acre portion of the island, land will be converted into wetlands and forested wetlands for project mitigation.
The Columbia River Channel Improvement Project, now about 75 percent complete, is a collaborative effort between the Corps and five lower river ports in Oregon and Washington to improve navigation in the Columbia River by deepening the navigation channel to accommodate the current fleet of international bulk cargo and container ships, and improve the condition of the Columbia River estuary through the completion of various environmental restoration projects.