The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin dredging the lower Columbia River next month, the agency said Wednesday. The process is expected to continue until December.
Commercial and recreational fishermen with equipment in the area should check the U.S. Coast Guard’s Local Notice to Mariners for specifics on dredging locations. The notice is located online at www.navcen.uscg.gov.
The annual river maintenance is intended to keep the federal navigation channel safe for commercial shipping, according to the Army Corps. The agency expects to remove more than 5 million cubic yards of sediment from the Columbia River, and more than 3 million cubic yards of sediment from the river’s mouth.
Dredging at the mouth of the river should be finished by October, according to the Army Corps, and the rest of the river by December.