DEPOE BAY, Ore. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin dredging Depoe Bay, Ore. to remove 2,000 cubic yards of material between September 13 and the end of the month. The work will take place for seven to 14 days and is an effort, with the City of Depoe Bay, to clean out the sediment catch basin.
Regular dredging, which happens every eight to 10 years depending on funding, will keep the boat basin clear (the boat basin catches sediment coming down the river and acts like “grease trap”). The upland site is on private property and located about two miles from the work area. The Corps previously cleaned out the catch basin in 2005.
The Corps used the National Environmental Policy Act to complete a Supplemental Environmental Assessment (available here: SEA and Finding of No Significant Impact) and partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency, National Marine Fisheries Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to minimize effects of the project on the environment.
The Depoe Bay federal project is a boat basin located in a small inlet off the Pacific Ocean and a check dam on South Depoe Bay Creek, in Depoe Bay, Lincoln County, Ore. The harbor has 85,000 pounds in fish landings valued at $72,323 (2010) per year, 16,000 commercial and 15,000 recreational crossings per year, is home to a U.S. Coast Guard Station and is a critical harbor of refuge.
For more information about the project, visit: www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Locations/Oregon-Coast/Depoe-Bay/.
Editor’s note: Media interested in coverage of dredging activities should coordinate through the Portland District Public Affairs Office. Please call 503-808-4510 or e-mail cenwp-pa@usace.army.mil.
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Portland District’s 150th Birthday: Portland District is one of the nation’s most comprehensive and diverse civil works programs and has been supporting the people of Oregon and southwest Washington since 1871. Throughout its 150-year history, the District has been operating locks and dams along the Columbia River, managing flood risks in the Willamette Valley and Rogue River Basin, maintaining Oregon's coastal waterways for navigation, and leading the Nation in hydropower generation. The team of more than 1,400 civil servants manage these missions all while ensuring equal attention is paid to environmental protection and restoration, fish and wildlife enhancement, and world-class recreation opportunities.