The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking public comments on a draft environmental assessment (DEA) for continued maintenance of the Columbia River Federal Navigation Channel.
The proposed maintenance includes placement of dredged material on the eastern shoreline of Rice Island and re-handling material at an in-water site near Howard Island.
The public comment period ends on September 7, 2015.
Shoreline placement at Rice Island, located near river mile 22, would rebuild and protect the existing upland placement site and allow development of a forage area for streaked horned larks, which were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2013.
In-water re-handling of dredged material is required near Howard Island, located between river miles 68 and 69, because shoaling is consistently forming too far away from the island for a dredge to directly pump that material to the existing upland placement site.