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Navigation Notices

The Portland District releases Navigation public notices for events like lock closures, scheduled maintenance and other navigable waterway information. Information presented here is a collection of navigation-related public notices that may be posted elsewhere on this site.

  • December

    A crew of 16 people stand in front of the dredge vessel, the Yaquina.

    ‘Man Overboard’: Dredge vessel crew saves woman swept away by Columbia River

    It was the sound – something like a scream – that first caught their attention.

  • March

    Climbers inspect downstream navigation lock gates during an annual lock outage at Bonneville Dam, Mar. 1, 2022. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District technicians perform annual maintenance on the navigation locks at Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day dams during these outages. The series of locks on the Lower Columbia are a vital piece of transportation infrastructure and the Corps performs maintenance during scheduled outages, which ensure that these systems stay open on a reliable schedule. To maintain safe and reliable passage through this valuable navigation system, the Corps coordinates the annual lock closures with inland shippers and cruise lines to minimize impacts to those users.

    Climbers inspect Bonneville Lock's miter gate

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains and assesses the locks along the Columbia and Snake rivers on an annual basis to keep an estimated $23 billion dollars’ worth of commerce flowing.

  • June

    The Essayons travelled north to the Corps’ Alaska District, to dredge the Cook Inlet Navigation Channel. A sudden surge of shoal material in the past two years reduced depths and affected navigation in the channel, which is the only Coast Guard marked route for all cargo and fuel ships supplying the Port of Anchorage.

    Big Bertha heads to Benson Beach, battles erosion

    Off the coast of Oregon, Big Bertha moves in the water, inching toward land. Bertha, as her government creators to refer to it, is the result of three years of inter-agency planning. Her architects; some of whom work for the Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; conscripted half of Portland District’s dredge fleet to scrape the river bottom and collect what was to become Bertha: a migrating mound of sand.
  • A woman in a hard hat holds a baby in a bonnet near Bonneville Dam.

    Employee’s hustle during navigation lock outage leads to agency-level win

    The task: manage your first emergency contract to repair some broken concrete that has brought a stand-still to $24 billion worth of annual commerce moving on the Columbia River while battling morning sickness.

  • March

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Operations and Maintenance Work Plan for fiscal year 2014 includes $1,262,000 to dredge the navigation channel used by mariners at the Port of Port Orford, Ore.

    Corps FY14 work plan provides funding for coastal dredging

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently released its Fiscal Year 2014 work plans for the Army Civil Works program. The Operation and Maintenance Plan includes nearly $15 million for maintenance dredging of the federal navigation channels used by Oregon’s small coastal ports. The plan also includes $1.2 million to dredge the Skipanon Channel, Ore., and $1.8 million to dredge the Chinook channel and Baker Bay, Wash.

Navigation public notices

Enter Sand Plan: USACE and sponsor ports invite public comments on draft Dredged Material Management Plan
9/10/2024
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Columbia River ports are asking for public comment on the draft plan to place millions of cubic yards of clean, Columbia River sediment in multiple Oregon...
Columbia River lock schedule begins for recreational boaters
5/15/2024
Recreational boaters passing through the three lower Columbia River dams must follow a summer locking schedule through Sept. 14. Commercial vessels will continue to lock through upon arrival except...
Columbia River locks shut down for annual maintenance
2/1/2024
The $23 billion of commerce that flows along the Columbia River will pause for two weeks beginning March 2 as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Portland District closes three navigation locks...
Summer recreational lock schedule now in effect on Columbia River
5/17/2023
Recreational boaters passing through the three lower Columbia River dams must follow a summer locking schedule through Sept. 14. Commercial vessels will continue to lock through upon arrival except...
Corps of Engineers to begin two-year safety, seismic repair project at Willamette Falls Locks this spring
3/3/2023
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Portland District (Corps) will move forward this spring with seismic repairs at Willamette Falls Locks before the agency’s official transfer of the historic...
Corps of Engineers dedicates new coastal survey vessel in Newport
1/23/2023
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Portland District officially welcomed its newest hydrographic survey vessel, the Beeman, with a dedication and christening ceremony in Newport, Oregon, Jan. 11...
Winter recreational lock schedule begins Sept. 15 on Lower Columbia
9/13/2022
Motorized recreational boaters who need to pass through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (Corps’) three lower Columbia River dams must do so during daylight hours only, upon request, Sept. 15 through...
9,200 buckets later, Corps dredging halfway complete at Gold Beach
9/9/2022
A giant bucket – the size of a 1970s Volkswagen bus – swings through the air after it gobbles up 20 cubic yards of gravel blocking (shoaling-in) access to parts of the Port of Gold Beach, Ore. The...
Commerce flows normally after Army engineers repair John Day Lock
8/5/2022
Commerce is now moving normally along the Columbia River and through John Day Lock after Army engineers completed repairs to damaged guide wheels by 12:30 p.m., August 5. Technicians originally...
Corps updates Safe Lockage Policy for recreational vessels on Columbia, Snake rivers
5/27/2022
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has put the following guidelines in place for the continued safe passage of recreational craft through the navigation locks at McNary, John Day, The Dalles, and...
Corps’ summer recreational lock schedule to take effect May 15
5/11/2022
Motorized recreational boaters who need to pass through the three lower Columbia River dams must follow a lock schedule taking effect May 15...
Corps awards $5 million contract for Rogue River dredging at Gold Beach
3/15/2022
Army officials announce a $5.3 million contract award for dredging the Rogue River at Gold Beach, Ore. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) maintains navigation channels along the Oregon coast and...
Columbia River commerce halts for extended period for annual outage
1/14/2022
Commerce moving up and down the Columbia River, which is a $23 billion industry, will be at a stand-still for up to five weeks beginning Feb. 13. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) closes its...
Winter recreational lock schedule begins September 30 on Lower Columbia
9/24/2021
Motorized recreational boaters needing to pass through the three lower Columbia River dams need to do so during daylight hours only, on request, starting September 30, 2021 through May 15, 2022...
Out-of-season outage closes The Dalles Dam navigation lock
9/9/2021
An out-of-season outage will close The Dalles Dam’s navigation lock, Sept. 14-15, 2021. A specialized U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rope-access (climbing) inspection team will be performing an...
Corps announces summer recreational lock schedule
5/14/2021
Motorized recreational boaters needing to pass through the three lower Columbia River dams must follow a lock schedule taking effect May 15. Commercial vessels will continue to lock through upon...
Columbia and Snake river navigation locks will close March 6 for annual maintenance
3/1/2021
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Portland and Walla Walla districts will close all Corps navigation locks on the Columbia and Snake rivers March 6 at 6 a.m. for regularly-scheduled annual...
Corps replaces king piles, part of the “unsung heroes” of navigation
11/9/2020 UPDATED
A $2.1 million U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project to replace missing king piles, some of which have been in place since 1885. The project is part of a greater effort to repair pile dikes. In total,...
Winter changes to Lower Columbia River recreational lock schedule
10/21/2020
Recreational boaters who need to move through the three lower Columbia River dams’ locks must do so during daylight hours, on request.This change began September 30 and will continue until May 15,...
Environmental Scoping Opens Through Oct. 3, 2017 for Port of Coos Bay’s Proposed Channel Modification
8/18/2017
PORTLAND, Ore. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is opening a public scoping phase in the preparation of a comprehensive environmental impact statement to evaluate the effects of the Oregon...
John Day Dam’s navigation lock reopens to river traffic; other locks still on track with previously announced schedules
3/19/2017
The navigation lock at John Day Dam, near Rufus, Oregon, reopened to river traffic late Saturday night, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials in the Portland District announced...
Summer Recreational Vessel Lockage Schedule Begins May 15
5/12/2016
May 15 marks the start of the summer schedule for recreational boaters using navigation locks to travel past U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers...
Corps awards The Dalles navigation lock contract
2/5/2016
The Corps has awarded a $10.5 million contract to a Vancouver, Washington, company to increase navigation lock reliability and safety at The Dalles Lock and Dam...
Corps releases final Environmental Assessment for Columbia River navigation channel maintenance
12/2/2015
The final environmental assessment for continued maintenance of the Columbia River federal navigation channel is available. The maintenance includes placement of dredged material on the eastern...
Corps announces Columbia River winter recreational vessel lockage schedule
9/14/2015
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begins its winter recreational vessel lock schedule for its Columbia River dams Sept. 15...
Corps seeks comments on draft environmental assessment for Columbia River navigation channel maintenance
8/7/2015
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking public comments on a draft environmental assessment for continued maintenance of the Columbia River Federal Navigation Channel...
Columbia River summer recreational lockage schedule begins May 15
5/13/2015
May 15 marks the start of the summer schedule for recreational boaters using navigation locks to travel past U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers...
Critical repairs beginning at MCR North Jetty
5/5/2015
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is staging equipment and material at the North Jetty in Cape Disappointment State Park, Washington, to repair the 100-year-old navigation structure. The fenced area...
Winter lockage schedule begins Sept. 16
9/15/2014
The Corps of Engineers begins its winter recreational vessel lock schedule for its Columbia River dams Sept. 16, when recreational vessels may lock through on request only during daylight hours...
Bonneville Lock and Dam navlock visitor center closes July 28
7/23/2014
Bonneville Lock and Dam’s Navigation Lock Visitor Center will close July 28 due to construction at the navigation lock; it isn't expected to re-open during the 2014 recreation season...
Summer recreational vessel lockage schedule begins May 15
5/5/2014
May 15 marks the start of the summer schedule for recreational boaters using navigation locks to travel past U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers...
Columbia-Snake River navigation locks close for annual maintenance in March
2/15/2014
Eight navigation locks on the Columbia and Snake rivers close to all river traffic at 6 a.m. Sat., March 1, 2014; scheduled re-opening is planned for March 15 for Columbia River locks and March 22 for...
Corps announces Columbia River winter recreational vessel lockage schedule
9/16/2013
The winter recreational vessel lock schedule for Columbia River dams began Sept. 16 and will continue through May 14, 2014 at the Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day locks. Recreational vessels may...
Columbia River dredging begins
6/17/2013
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began dredging in the lower Columbia River recently. Operations at the mouth of the river will start between June 20 and July 1...
Corps reminds mariners to avoid pile dikes
5/21/2013
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers advises boaters and commercial mariners to be aware that some Columbia River pile dikes may be underwater...
Corps' summer recreational lockage schedule begins May 15
5/7/2013
Announcing the Summer 2013 recreational lock schedule for the navigation locks along the Columbia River, effective May 15, 2013...
Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day navigation locks re-open early after annual maintenance
3/15/2013
The navigation locks at Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day will re-open at 5 p.m. today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced. The Corps closes its navigation locks on the Columbia and Snake...
Low water levels near John Day Dam expected in early March
3/1/2013
Water levels upstream of the John Day Dam are expected to be lower than normal between March 1 and March 8, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced...
Columbia-Snake River navigation locks to close for annual maintenance in March
2/20/2013
Portland District’s Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day navigation locks at Columbia River miles 145, 191 and 216, respectively, will close March 2 at 6 a.m. and reopen March 16 at 11:59 p.m...
The Dalles navigation lock to close for repairs
11/28/2012
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will close The Dalles navigation lock between 6 a.m. Dec. 5 and 6 p.m. Dec. 7 for repairs to its downstream gate. Navigation locks at Bonneville and John Day dams...
Corps announces Columbia River winter recreational vessel lockage schedule
9/20/2012
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began the winter recreational vessel lock schedule for its Columbia River dams Sept. 16...
Corps releases jetty rehabilitation report
8/6/2012
This report outlines plans for major rehabilitation of jetty system at the Mouth of the Columbia River...
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