News Release
| Release Number: | 98-041 |
| Dated: | 5/28/1998 |
| Contact: | Heidi Y. Helwig, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore. -- What does it take to maintain the region's waterways for boats and ships? U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredge crews-responsible for keeping the region's waterways safely navigable-will explain the answer to ship visitors during the Portland Rose Festival.
The Corps' hopper dredge Essayons will arrive at its berth, just south of the Morrison Street Bridge, about 3:30 p.m. on June 3. Festival-goers are invited to tour the dredge between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 4 to 7, and from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 7. Guests aboard the dredge should wear low-heeled, sturdy shoes; you will have to navigate a number stairs, ladders and grated flooring.
The Corps of Engineers' Portland District is responsible for maintaining (dredging/hydrographic surveying) the deep draft channel of the Willamette River from the confluence of the Columbia River to the Broadway Bridge. The Port of Portland dredges the stretch of the Willamette from the Broadway Bridge to the Ross Island Bridge. The Corps, however, surveys this entire stretch of the river before the Rose Festival as a courtesy. The surveys provide important information about the river and help the Corps and Port know if and where dredging is required before the larger visiting vessels moor at the downtown seawall.
When the festival is over, it's "back to work on the river" for the Essayons and its crew, said Dave Beach of the Corps' Channels and Harbors Projects. "Each year, it's a juggling act to balance our work on the river with our need to connect with the people we serve," he said. "Fortunately, the Portland Rose Festival gives us this opportunity to join the Festival Fleet, letting us meet thousands of visitors we ordinarily would not reach."
The Essayons and its sister dredge, the Yaquina, help maintain the entrance bars, river and harbors on the coasts of California, Oregon, Hawaii and Alaska. Before dredging, the Corps coordinates its operations with other environmentally focused agencies. Routinely, the dredges work at the following locations: in Oregon on the Chetco, Columbia, Coquille, Umpqua and Siuslaw rivers, in the Rogue River at Gold Beach, Skipanon Channel at Warrenton, and in Coos Bay, and Yaquina Bay. --30--
Note: To schedule special tours of the dredge for school groups or the media, call Heidi Helwig at (503) 808-4510.