Portland District > Missions > Projects and Plans > Lower Columbia River Dredged Material Management Plan

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Announcements

In August 2024, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in partnership with the five sponsor ports (Ports of Portland, Oregon, Vancouver, Washington, Woodland, Kalama and Longview) released the DRAFT Lower Columbia River Dredged Material Management Plan Environmental Impacts Statement (LCR DMMP-EIS) for public review. The LCR DMMP-EIS is available online and at local libraries (locations provided below).

Longview Public Library 1600 Louisiana St. Longview, WA 95632	St Helens Public Library 375 S 18th St. Saint Helens, OR 97051
Holgate Multnomah County Library 7905 SE Holgate Blvd Portland, OR 97206	Cathlamet Public Library 115 Columbia St. Cathlamet, WA 98612

Public Review Process: The public review process is required under NEPA (40 CFR 1501.7) and SEPA (RCW 43.21C.030(2)(c). It is one of the final steps in the environmental planning process where an EIS is prepared. The public review process is meant to:

• Allow for direct interaction between the public and the project development team,
• Inform the public of the findings of the LCR DMMP-EIS, the status of the study, and to
• Provide a venue for the public to comment on the LCR DMMP-EIS.

Public Documents

Lower Columbia River channel maintenance plan: Draft Integrated DMMP - EIS
2023 - Maintenance Report on Effects Sstreaked horned larks River FNC effects to strea ...
2023 Annual report, Operations and Maintenance Dredging Program for the Columbia River Federal Navigation Channel effects to streaked horned larks
FONSI: LCR Navigation Channel dredged material transfer site W-60.9-IW-T
Lower Columbia River Channel Maintenance
Project Sponsors

Project Sponsors

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
PO Box 2946
Portland, OR
97208-2946

Phone: 503-808-4510

cenwp-pa@usace.army.mil

Lower Columbia River Channel Maintenance Plan, Draft Integrated Dredged Material Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement

USACE and the non-federal sponsors are conducting environmental reviews for a Draft Integrated Dredged Material Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement to ensure that the Lower Columbia River Federal Navigation Channel is maintained and operational for another 20 years. The Draft DMMP-EIS will include actions to manage dredged material while evaluating effects on the Lower Columbia environmental and socioeconomic resources. With this plan, the Corps, sponsor ports, federal and state agencies, other ports and stakeholders will better understand what needs to be done—and do it well—to ensure a reliable deep-draft navigation channel.

USACE and sponsor ports have developed a draft integrated DMMP-EIS to evaluate plan alternatives and their environmental effects that includes actions to manage dredged material while evaluating effects on the Lower Columbia River environmental, socioeconomic and cultural resources. The final selected plan will identify the least-cost, operationally feasible, and environmentally acceptable proposal.

This stretch of the Columbia River, which extends from river mile 3 at the Mouth of the Columbia River to river mile 105.5, near Vancouver, Wash., is part of the Columbia & Lower Willamette Federal Navigation Channel Project. Annually, the Columbia-Snake River Navigation System moves over 50 million tons of cargo, worth $24 billion, while the cost to maintain the authorized channel dimensions is $43 million. A well-maintained channel supports regional and local jobs and provides significant and direct national economic benefits.

National Significance:

#1 in US for wheat export

#2 soy and corn export

#3 largest grain export in the world

#1 on the west coast for forest and mineral bulk exports

September 2024 Public Meetings

USACE and the non-federal sponsor ports will host four in-person public involvement meetings Sept. 16-20, 2024, to provide the public an opportunity to comment on the Draft Integrated Dredged Material Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement.

A virtual meeting was held on Sept. 24th, 2024 for those members of the public who were unable to attend the face-to-face meetings. Click here to access the recorded version of the virtual meeting.

The public can submit comments from Aug. 23 through Nov.6, 2024 via email LCR-MP-DMMP@usace.army.mil or by mailing them to:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Attn: Planning Branch
PO Box 2946
Portland, OR 97208

September 2024 Public Meeting Schedule

September 16	5-7 pm	Cowlitz County Event Center 1900 7^th Avenue, Longview, Wash.
September 17	5-7 pm	Norse Hall 444 WA-409, Cathlamet, Wash.
September 18	7-9 pm	St John’s Community Center 8427 N Central Street, Portland, Ore.
September 20	5-7 pm	Astoria Senior Center 111 Exchange Street, Astoria, Ore.

Virtual Meeting

To view the recorded virtual meeting held September 24, 2024 click here.

Why Now?

Existing dredged material placement sites are nearing capacity and space is needed for the estimated 6 to 8 million cubic yards of material to be dredged each year. The process of updating the plan may also identify ways to improve engineering and environmental stewardship practices and recognize opportunities to adapt to other changes over time.

Getting to a Plan

In partnership with the sponsor ports and with input from other stakeholders and the public, USACE has tentatively determined the best management plan for upland and in-water dredged material placement, by evaluating ways to reduce dredging requirements and considered impacts to the natural resources of the lower Columbia. USACE and sponsor ports have evaluated alternatives and environmental effects in a draft joint environmental impact statement and selected the preferred management plan based on this analysis. This assessment and environmental review has considered:

Current and forecasted dredging needs.
If it is possible to extend the space available (capacity) of existing material placement sites.
Potential uses of dredged material to benefit the environment or other conditions, such as creation of fish and wildlife habitat and ecosystem restoration.
Combinations of new placement sites, taking into consideration different placement methods, locations and periods of use.
Actions necessary to implement the final plan in the coming years, such as revised permitting processes, acquisition of land for new placement sites, and improvement of current channel maintenance structures (pile dikes), among others.

With this information, USACE is now releasing the draft DMMP-EIS for public discussion and comment. Once finalized, the plan will help define the next 20 years of channel maintenance on the Lower Columbia River.

NEPA & SEPA - The Environmental Policy Act Process

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 is one of the nation’s oldest environmental laws that encourages federal agencies to make environmentally responsible decisions. NEPA requires all federal agencies to consider and disclose the environmental effects of their proposed actions in an environmental impact statement. The Citizen's Guide to NEPA explains this law and how to effectively submit your input.

Similarly, the Washington State Environmental Policy Act, first adopted in 1971 and codified at Chapter 43.21C of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), requires a systematic, interdisciplinary approach to evaluating actions that may have an impact on the environment. The SEPA process supports agency decision-makers, applicants, and the public in understanding how a proposed project or plan may affect the environment. The environmental review process in SEPA is intended to work with other regulations and documents to provide a comprehensive review of plans such as this DMMP-EIS.

To satisfy the requirements of NEPA and SEPA, the Corps and sponsor ports have jointly prepared a draft integrated EIS for the DMMP. The Washington sponsor ports will be co-lead agencies under SEPA, with the Port of Longview serving as the nominal SEPA lead agency for purposes of SEPA compliance.

Collecting the right level of information at the right time is important to developing this plan. This requires early and frequent engagement of all affected federal, state and local agencies, affected Native American Tribes, and interested groups and individuals.

Resources analyzed in the EIS include:

Socioeconomics and Environmental Justice	Ecological Systems and Special Aquatic Sites	Tribal Resources, Rights, and Lands
Public Infrastructure and Navigation	Fish	Land and Shoreline Use
River Hydraulics, Sedimentation, and Morphology	Wildlife	Noise
Water Quality	Invasive Species	Visual Quality and Recreation
Air Quality and Green House Gases	ESA-Listed Species and Critical Habitat	Cultural Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Topics and Questions	Response
Why does the Corps need to update the maintenance plan?	The need for the federal action is to provide continued reliable, safe, and efficient transportation of waterborne commerce and uninterrupted transit for fully loaded vessels in the Federal Navigation Channel (FNC). Existing placement sites, as well as in-water locations, are reaching capacity. Therefore, there is a need to update the Lower Columbia River Channel Maintenance Plan (LCR CMP) Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP) to identify additional placement sites to continue to maintain the authorized Federal navigation channel (FNC).
Who is involved in making decisions about the DMMP and selecting the Recommended Plan?	The Corps is the decision-maker that selects the Recommended Plan through an interdisciplinary team that includes technical disciplines in river hydraulics, environmental and cultural resources, planning, economics, and operational requirements. We also receive input from the Sponsor Ports, Cooperating Agencies, Tribes, other agencies, and the public.
Are there maps that show channel depth measurements?	USACE Hydrographic Surveys are available from the following link: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/ 4b8f2ba307684cf597617bf1b6d2f85d
What are you doing to keep sand from entering the navigation channel?	It is important to maintain a sediment balance in the Columbia River. Placement sites are selected with this in mind. Structures, such as confined aquatic structures may be required to keep the material contained in some placement sites.
What are the characteristics of the material dredged from the river? How often is it tested for contaminants of concern?	The material in the main channel is medium to coarse-grained sand, tested based on a combined Federal and State agency framework. The testing frequency is every 10 years because the clean sand in the Columbia River has been determined to be suitable for in-water unconfined placement.
I know of a site that could be used for dredged material placement. Can I have it considered?	It may still be possible for you to receive dredged material through a separate agreement. Corps guidance directs that beneficial use sites be considered when available and when dredging is necessary and in close proximity, even when those sites are not part of the Federal project. 33 U.S.C. § 701h authorizes the Corps to accept and expend funds contributed by a Non-Federal Sponsor and to undertake, at the Non-Federal Sponsor's full expense, additional work while the Corps is carrying out the Project.
How are the placement site decisions made? Do private landowners have a say in the selection process?	The Corps will be the decision maker for the recommended plan. The public will have the ability to comment during the public comment period prior to the final decision. Several factors influence the selection of a site, including but not limited to: technical feasibility (can a dredge get there?) and environmental considerations (is your land a wetland?). Private landowner comments during this public comment period will be considered during refinement of the final plan. Private landowners of sites considered in the DMMP have received a letter and the Corps is setting up meetings to facilitate personal discussions.
How will I know if my property has been chosen to receive dredge material?	Our intent is to reach out to all potentially impacted landowners. Private landowners of sites considered in the DMMP should have received a letter. If you have not received a letter but believe your property is identified for placement, please send an email to LCR-CMP-DMMP@usace.army.mil.
If dredged material is placed on my property, who owns the sand?	The state owns the material removed from the Columbia River. If the material is removed from a placement site for private use, royalties would be paid to the respective state. Examples would be if the material is used for road work, commercial purposes, or as a material borrow source.
Will surveys and/or permits be required for dredged material placement on private property?	The Corps will obtain environmental and cultural resource clearances as required by applicable federal statutes and comply with Executive Orders and guidance for the DMMP Recommended Plan. While the federal government is not required to obtain local permits for federal actions, all selected sites have the proper coordination with local agencies to ensure environmental and cultural resource compliance is met. This will include the site surveys prior to implementation and coordination with landowners. These steps are necessary for the Sponsor Ports to acquire the necessary real estate for the 20-year plan.
Has dredged material been placed on private property sites in the past?	Yes, private property has been used as part of the Federal plan in the past and this has required the Sponsor Ports to obtain an easement from landowners. Oher private property has also received material in the past, when the private landowners obtain the proper regulatory permits, and the Corps determines the suitability of the site. As noted above, in some cases payment of incremental costs could be required.
What is being done to address shoreline erosion?	Channel maintenance activities are not causing active erosion. However, the channel maintenance plan could show benefit to shorelines in the project area with repair of existing structures or placement of sand on beaches.
What about the side channels?	Although the side channels are connected to the navigable waterways, they are not included in this plan.
What is the plan for repairing or enhancing the hydraulic controls/pile dike system?	Pile dike systems are expected to be repaired as part of the base condition, and others could be included in the recommended plan.
Why don’t you slow down the speed of ships on the river? Can you study hydrodynamics related to whether reduced ship transit speeds would reduce dredging?	Safely navigating ships in the Columbia River is a U.S. Coast Guard responsibility, and the Corps has no ability to dictate vessel speed. Additionally, the Corps currently dredges 6 to 8 million cubic yards of material annually; ships are not affecting this quantity of material.
How is cost balanced with effects on resources in decision-making?	Cost and environmental impacts are being considered for all sites included in the alternatives. Avoidance and minimization of impacts to resources is a priority.
Beneficial Use
Does the Corps have additional ways to partner for beneficial use of dredged material beyond what is shown in the DMMP? Will future environmental features require a separate NEPA process?	All sites in the Draft Recommended Plan provide beneficial uses of dredged material (ecological and economic). There are multiple initiatives that guide the Corps’ strategy for dredged material management. The Corps’ Engineering with Nature initiative is the intentional alignment of natural and engineering processes to deliver economic, environmental, and social benefits efficiently and sustainably through collaboration. The Corps’ Regional Sediment Management is a systems approach using best management practices for more efficient and effective use of sediments in coastal, estuarine, and inland environments for healthier and more resilient systems. The Corps defines Beneficial Uses of Dredged Material as productive and positive uses that cover broad use categories ranging from fish and wildlife habitat development to recreation to commercial and industrial uses. The beneficial use of dredged material could also occur under the Continuing Authorities Program (CAP) process. The CAP process requires a non-Federal cost-share partner and a NEPA Environmental Assessment (EA) Any additional beneficial use activities will be further analyzed in detail during subsequent, tiered CAP/EA process. Information on the CAP 204 process may be found at: https://www.publications.usace.army.mil/Portals/76/EP_1105-2-58.pdf?ver=2019-04-30-105428-920 A recent example of a CAP 204 project is Woodland Islands. More information on that project is found at: https://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Media/Public-Notices/Article/2226298/woodland-islands-integrated-feasibility-study-final-environmental-assessment-fo/
NEPA and SEPA Processes
Where can I get a copy of the EIS to review?	You can access the DMMP-EIS document through the website: http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/lcrchannelmaintenance/
What is a programmatic EIS?	EIS stands for Environmental Impact Statement. The federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires an EIS on proposals for major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. Federal agencies create an EIS to demonstrate how they consider the environmental impacts of proposed actions and potential alternatives in the decision-making process. Said another way, an EIS is a government document that outlines the impacts of a proposed project on its surrounding environment. Under Washington’s State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), an EIS is prepared when the lead SEPA agency determines a proposal is likely to have significant adverse environmental impacts. The SEPA EIS process is a tool for identifying and analyzing probable adverse environmental impacts, reasonable alternatives, and possible mitigation. A SEPA EIS is required for any proposal likely to have a significant adverse environmental impact in which actions to offset or mitigate the impacts would reduce them to a nonsignificant level. “Programmatic” means any broad or high-level NEPA or SEPA review that assesses the environmental impacts of proposed policies, plans, programs, or projects for which subsequent actions will be implemented either based on the Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) or Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS).
When will there be a site-by-site analysis, and who will conduct that analysis?	The Final EIS will contain a site-by-site analysis of each proposed placement area based on the best information available from remote sensing tools (e.g. GIS), historic and ongoing dredging and placement actions, Federal and state agencies, Tribal coordination, and public comments. Prior to implementation at any placement site, a subsequent, narrower, decision focused review will occur. This will include verifying the existing conditions at the site, validating the effects disclosed in the Draft EIS, and, where necessary, updating the NEPA/SEPA analysis with a subsequent, tiered environmental assessment. For example, effects to wetlands in the Dreft EIS were estimated using the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Wetlands Mapper. The size of the wetlands in the Draft EIS was overestimated based on these maps to ensure that the greatest potential effect was considered in the programmatic analysis. When a site containing wetlands will be used, the Corps will conduct a wetland delineation to determine the actual boundaries, quantify the quality of the wetland to determine the extent of function loss, and refine the design of the placement site to avoid and minimize adverse effects. These and other “deferred” issues will be fully discussed in a subsequent tiered NEPA/SEPA analysis.
Are you coordinating with the Tribes?	Yes, coordination with the Tribes started early in the process and is ongoing.
Will there be mitigation associated with the DMMP?	Unavoidable impacts to wetlands would be mitigated by offsets obtained from an approved mitigation bank in the LCR.
Biological Resources
Will the project create more habitat for avian predators that eat salmon?	The Corps has included BMPs from past projects and is in consultation with National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to minimize impacts to salmon from avian predation.
Cultural and Tribal Resources
What is the tribal consultation process?	This project is following the consultation process under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and a Programmatic Agreement is anticipated.
Will the proposed project impact cultural resources?	Effects have been evaluated in the EIS analysis. In addition to NEPA review, the Corps will analyze impacts to historic properties of religious and cultural significance to Tribes under NHPA Section 106.
Recreation
Will tree planting on dredge placement sites impact recreational activities such as kiting, fishing, and camping?	Tree planting is not part of this project. The DMMP is a maintenance action that focuses solely on identification of dredged material placement sites and channel training features.
Will mitigation be provided to offset any loss of recreational areas?	Mitigation for loss of recreation areas is not required under federal law. If material is placed on the shoreline, it is expected this would be a benefit to many recreators.
Other Potential Environmental Effects
How will this affect resources (salmon) in the Columbia River?	This will be considered in the EIS analysis. We will share our analysis of effects with interested parties during the public commenting period on the draft EIS. The Corps is also evaluating impacts to ESA-listed salmonids during formal consultation with NMFS.
How are you addressing climate change?	The ongoing maintenance of the FNC provides the region with transportation of cargo with lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through more fuel-efficient transportation. This more efficient transportation of cargo results in reduced transportation emissions of GHG that would otherwise contribute to climate change. Because the DMMP occurs in tidally influenced regions below Bonneville Dam potential sea level rise will be evaluated in the DMMP-EIS report (Report) to determine the FNC’s climate resiliency over the next 20 years. The Corps will also analyze the effects of GHG emissions associated with implementation of the proposed action and its alternatives within the Report.
Will more ships or larger ships be coming up the Columbia River? Will it mean more trucks or trains coming to the Ports? Will there be more air pollution?	The DMMP is a maintenance project; we are not deepening the channel, so there will be no change to shipping or truck/train capacity as a result of the project. The EIS will analyze the effects of reasonably foreseeable trends for shipping transportation and climate change through cumulative effects analysis.
I live near the dredging/near a placement site and I’m worried about the noise, vibration, and lights.	Dredging and placement activities are temporary actions required to maintain the federally authorized channel, impacts will be disclosed in the Draft EIS, and circulated for public review and comments.
Upriver Considerations
Is there a possibility that contaminated sediments from the Portland Harbor Superfund site could be naturally transported downstream into the Lower Columbia River?	This DMMP will support maintaining the Columbia River portion of the Columbia and Lower Willamette River navigation project. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is overseeing a cleanup of the Portland Harbor Superfund Site (Site), which includes a 10-mile-long stretch of the lower Willamette River from approximately the Broadway Bridge to near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. EPA selected a remedy and issued a record of decision (ROD) for the Site in 2017. Responsible parties are currently carrying out remedial design to implement the remedy. The Corps is not aware of the extent to which contamination from the Site is being transported into the lower Columbia River federal navigation channel. However, the Corps understands that EPA’s remedy will be sufficiently protective of human health and the environment. And, in the interim, EPA, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and the Corps coordinate on activities occurring in the Site that have the potential to disturb contamination (e.g., dredging). EPA also requires sampling and analysis of dredged material and the post-dredge surface above what is required by the regional sediment evaluation framework and Clean Water Act requirements.
If upriver dams are removed, how would Lower Columbia River channel maintenance be affected?	This is out of scope for this maintenance project, the DMMP assumes the upriver dams remain in place. The analysis of impacts is beyond the DMMP study and NEPA/SEPA analysis.
Agency and Public Involvement Opportunities
How can I get a copy of the public meeting presentation?	A copy will be posted to the Website After September 20, 2024