PORTLAND, Ore. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District, has finalized a 20-year plan to maintain the lower Columbia River’s deep-draft navigation channel, a critical artery for the nation’s economy.
The Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP) provides a long-term strategy for managing sediment dredged from the river bottom to maintain the channel’s 43-foot depth and 600-foot width. Without regular maintenance dredging, sections of the river can become too shallow, forcing restrictions on commercial ships.
Each year, USACE must dredge 6-8 million cubic yards of sediment from the Columbia; the plan outlines how the material will be put to beneficial use, including creating habitat for fish and wildlife, and protecting riverbanks. This approach helps the Corps meet its national goal of beneficially using 70% of dredged material by 2030…