News Release
| Release Number: | 06-079 |
| Dated: | 6/8/2006 |
| Contact: | Mike McAleer, 503-808-4510 |
PORTLAND, Ore. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will present information related to its 2006 channel maintenance project for the mouth of the Columbia River on Thursday, June 15, in Astoria, Ore.
The meeting will be from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Columbia River Bar Pilots conference room, 100 16th Street, next to the maritime museum. Corps officials will outline the schedule for dredging activities and the disposal locations for sand removed from the navigation channel.
“I look forward to this meeting every year because it is an opportunity to meet with boaters and the residents of the coastal community to discuss Corps’ plans before dredging actually begins,” said Doris McKillip, project manager for the Corps. “By knowing when and where the dredges will be operating, recreational boaters and fishermen can minimize the risk to themselves and their equipment.”
“Our dredge captains have always appreciated the cooperation they get from the crab fishing community, and their willingness to move crab pots out of the disposal and transit areas,” McKillip said.
The Corps’ dredge Essayons will begin dredging on or about June 19. The Essayons will start using the Shallow Water Disposal Site, located north of the mouth. A contract award is scheduled for late June and dredging activities will begin as soon as the contractor’s dredge is available in the area.
The Corps dredges the navigation channel each year to provide an avenue for safe transit across the Columbia River bar for large and small vessels. Navigation across the bar for commercial vessels supports local, regional and national economies and accounts for about $16 billion in international commerce annually.