News Release
| Release Number: | 98-014 |
| Dated: | 3/2/1998 |
| Contact: | Heidi Y. Helwig, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore. -- The North Shore Recreation Area immediately downstream of the Bonneville Lock and Dam second powerhouse will be closed to fishing for the rest of the year beginning March 7, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. At this time, the Corps will allow access to the boat ramp.
The Corps is closing the area to the public because construction activity on the site will make access to the shore dangerous and difficult. Those wanting to fish at Bonneville Lock and Dam may do so on Hamilton or Cascades islands, said Bonneville Lock and Dam Project Manager Debby Chenoweth. Hamilton Island is accessible year round; Cascades Island will be open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Contractors hired by the Corps are building a juvenile fish bypass. Construction of an underground flume to guide juvenile fish from the dam 2 miles downstream to the area known as Garrison Eddy is underway. When completed, the fish will reenter the river in fast moving water carried by the flume at Garrison Eddy. The construction is expected to continue through the end of December 1998.
Construction work also will require closing the North Shore Recreation Area to free overnight parking. In the past, the Corps has permitted parking of campers, RV's and other self-contained vehicles for periods up to 3 days within one week "At the conclusion of the construction, we plan to provide for designated camping areas that are separate from the day use fishing areas," Chenoweth said. Construction activity also will require the Corps to close its North Shore Visitor Center later this fall for about 2 1/2 months.
"We regret any inconvenience these closures may be causing. Our utmost concern, however, is for the safety of everyone, including visitors to our projects. I hope that people will still visit Bonneville Dam and take advantage of the other areas of the project that are not under construction," Chenoweth said.
The North Shore Recreation Area is a 46-acre area of land bounded by State Highway 14 to the north, the Columbia River to the south, the dam's second powerhouse to the east, and Fort Cascades Historic Site to the west. This narrow strip of land, in some places less than 200 feet across, will be bisected by the flume construction and will be an unsafe area for the public.
The closure of the area to fishing is being coordinated with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and with the Bonneville Power Administration, the agency that manages the bounty fishing program.
Formal presentations to community groups about the North Shore Recreation Area closure or about construction of the juvenile fish bypass project may be arranged. For more information about this possibility call the Corps' Heidi Helwig in the Public Affairs Office at (503) 808-4510 or Bonneville Lock and Dam's project manager Debby Chenoweth at (541) 374-8442.