https://www.nwp.usace.army.mil Portland District News RSS Feed en-us Tue, 08 Sep 2020 20:30:00 GMT Sat, 13 Jun 2026 12:09:10 GMT https://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Media/Feature-Stories/Article/2340058/violent-confluence-of-columbia-river-and-pacific-ocean-make-jetty-work-weighty/ During violent winter storms, waves taller than the length of six king-sized beds stacked end-to-end (40 feet) can meet the Columbia River as it makes its way out to the Pacific Ocean. This concentrated colliding of water makes crossing the bar incredibly dangerous, according to the Columbia River Maritime Museum. So precarious, in fact, that this channel had a nickname, “the graveyard of the Pacific,” at least until the U.S. government built critical infrastructure to reduce some of the risk.<br/> <img src='https://media.defense.gov/2020/Sep/08/2002493386/115/75/0/200831-A-ET715-0088.JPG' alt='U.S. Army Col. Michael Helton, Portland District commander, highlights details of the South Jetty rehabilitation at the Mouth of the Columbia River to Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici during a small commemoration event, Aug. 31. The Corps estimates that it will complete rehabilitation on South Jetty by 2024 and will use 400,000 tons of stone. The group, which included Senator Ron Wyden and Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, was able to see some of the work as contractors placed rock in the background. So far, the Corps has placed more than 14,000 tons of stone at South Jetty. (U.S. Army photo by Jeremy Bell)' /> <br /> Tue, 08 Sep 2020 20:30:00 GMT By Tom Conning, Public Affairs Office https://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Media/Feature-Stories/Article/2340058/violent-confluence-of-columbia-river-and-pacific-ocean-make-jetty-work-weighty/ Mouth of the Columbia River U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Northwestern Division