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Department of Ecology News Release - Sept. 29, 2000
00-193
OLYMPIA - The Columbia River channel-deepening proposal does not meet Washington's water-quality regulations, so the state has denied the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' request for a required water-quality permit.
Simultaneously, the Corps' was denied a water-quality permit by Oregon based on similar concerns.
The permit, also known as "401 certification" under the federal Clean Water Act, is intended to assure that water quality standards are met during the life of the dredging project. Both states' denials were made "without prejudice," which means the Corps is welcome to re-apply for 401 certifications and continue the process of developing an environmentally sound construction plan.
Washington's Department of Ecology (Ecology) and Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) based their decisions, in part, on the National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) concerns that the project may harm salmon. The Clean Water Act defines fish habitat as one of the "beneficial uses" that water should provide.
In addition, a newly completed Washington state study indicates the dredging project would remove a large volume of sand that normally would be deposited on Washington beaches over time.
"The Long Beach peninsula is already malnourished due to a reduced amount of sand coming out of the Columbia, and the dredging project as currently designed would lead to starvation," said Ecology Director Tom Fitzsimmons. "The proposal needs to be improved to protect not only the environment, but people's homes and livelihoods as well."
Because Washington does not have adequate assurance that the project meets water-quality standards, shoreline laws and other state laws, the project cannot receive another needed requirement: a "federal consistency" determination.
A determination of federal consistency means the project meets the requirements of several state laws, which includes clean-water laws as well as shoreline and other laws. Federal consistency determination falls under the federal Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), a state-federal partnership that fosters preservation and appropriate development of coastal areas. Oregon earlier this year determined the proposal did not meet the federal consistency requirement for that state's laws.
Washington's primary concerns with the Corps' proposal include:
Potential harm to estuary and marine resources, including ESA-listed species and white sturgeon.
Taking sand from the river will potentially worsen Washington's coastal-erosion problems. To see a map that projects the extent of future coastal erosion is sand from the river is further reduced, go to: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2000news/coastal_erosion.html
Potential harm to the Dungeness crab fishery has not been fully assessed.
Final, approvable mitigation plans for wetland and habitat losses have not been submitted by the Corps.
Local governments say the project violates their shoreline master programs.
Media contacts: Sandy Howard, Washington Department of Ecology,
360-407-6239, or pager, 360-786-3136
Brian White, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, 503-229-6044
NOTE: The following local officials also have a strong interest in the channel-deepening proposal and may be contacted by reporters for comment:
Pacific County Commissioner, Bud Cuffel, 360-875-9337
Wahkiakum County Commissioner Esther Gregg, 360-795-8048
Port of Ilwaco, Mack Funk, 360-642-3143
Ecology's letters to the Corps of Engineers
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
