PORTLAND, Ore. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking public comment on a proposal to place dredged material from the Federal Navigation Channel into the side channel area on the east side of Woodland Islands near St. Helens, Ore. in the Lower Columbia River Estuary.
The Corps’ proposal would place up to 400,000 cubic yards of clean dredge material from the Columbia River navigation channel operations and maintenance program. The beneficial use of dredged materials would establish low-velocity shallow water and riparian shrub habitat. This project also includes a measure to support vegetation establishment through native plantings, which would help prevent the spread and establishment of invasive species. The creation of this riparian habitat would help restore and provide critical habitat for salmon populations listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, as well as for other wildlife and non-ESA listed aquatic species.
The Corps has prepared a draft environmental assessment and draft finding of no significant impact for this proposal in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. The assessment includes a brief discussion of the need for the dredged material on the Woodland Island and environmental considerations resulting from the project.
The project is expected to reach the design implementation phase in 2018. Construction would occur as early as September 2018. This project would be implemented using routine operations and maintenance dredged material placed by the pipeline Dredge Oregon using an existing contract for maintenance of the Columbia River Federal Navigation Channel.
Questions or comments regarding the draft document should be directed to Ms. Kate Wells, (503) 808-4664, Kathleen.A.Wells@usace.army.mil, or at the address below. Mailed comments must be postmarked by April 6, 2018 and sent to:
District Engineer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineer District, Portland
Attn: CENWP-PM-E/Kate Wells
P.O. Box 2946, Portland, Oregon 97208-2946
In your response, please refer to CENWP-PM-E-18-03, title, and date. A “no comment” response will be assumed if no response is received prior to or postmarked by the close of business on the above expiration date.
Any person who has an interest or may be affected by the placement of dredged material may request a public meeting. The request must be submitted in writing to the District Engineer within the comment period of this notice and must clearly set forth the interest, which may be affected, and the manner in which the interest may be affected by this activity.
The draft document for the proposal is available for public review and comment at the associated public notice page on the Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website, located at www.nwp.usace.army.mil/notices/permit-application/Article/1459314/.
Public review helps the Corps consider the concerns of citizens and organizations by involving them in the environmental review process. The Corps understands that citizens often have valuable information about the places and resources they value. This draft document provides the public with the means to be involved in the decision-making process by helping them to understand what the Corps is proposing and to offer their comments on the analysis of the effects of such actions.
All comments received will become part of the administrative record and are subject to public release under the Freedom of Information Act, including any personally identifiable information such as name, phone numbers and addresses.