News Release
| Release Number: | 98-047 |
| Dated: | 6/16/1998 |
| Contact: | Matt Rabe, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore. -- Beginning June 22, the Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will remove a series of range markers from five southern Oregon coastal rivers. The five affected rivers are Chetco, Rogue, Coquille, Umpqua and Siuslaw.
Corps and contract dredges historically used the range markers, also called dredging ranges, to maintain the federal navigation channels. Unlike U.S. Coast Guard navigation markers - which show the centerline of the channel - the dredging markers show the outside limits of the channel. Now that these dredges are equipped with Global Positioning Satellite equipment, the dredging markers are no longer used.
A crew from the Corps' Astoria Field Office will remove all of the markers along the mentioned rivers, except for the four at the entrance of the Siuslaw River, at Florence. The Corps will begin removing the towers and pilings that hold the markers later this summer. Removal of all the structures will take about two to three years. No wildlife will be disturbed during the removal process.
The Corps issued a public notice in early April to outline its plan and to explain the expected impacts to the environment and river users. Based on the comments received, the Corps modified its original plan.
"We originally planned on immediately removing all the range markers from the Columbia River south to the Chetco River," said Mark Dasso, chief of the Corps' waterways contract section. "The deep-draft ports and pilots expressed concern about this plan." As a result, Dasso said the Corps temporarily will hold off removing the dredging markers from the mouth of the Siuslaw River, Coos Bay, Yaquina Bay, and the Columbia River. "We are discussing the option of transferring ownership of the markers to either the Coast Guard, the pilots or the local port authority.
"It is our intent to remove all the markers from our inventory," Dasso said. Removal of the markers and towers will free up $200,000 in the Corps' budget for use on other projects.
The U.S. Coast Guard maintains navigational aids in federal navigation channels. The Corps' dredging markers are not navigational aids.
The Corps currently maintains dredging markers along the Columbia, Yaquina, Siuslaw, Umpqua, Coos, Coquille, Rogue and Chetco rivers. The dredging markers and pilings at Tillamook Bay were abandoned about 20 years ago. The remains of these structures also will be removed.