Lower Columbia River News

"The Columbia River and its tributaries, wetlands, and estuaries are the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest, providing abundant water, power, recreation, agriculture, transportation and natural resources that have supported livelihoods, cultural and spiritual practices, commerce and economic growth.” - President Biden, Memorandum of September 27, 2023.Those abundant benefits directly impact about 13 million people in the Pacific Northwest. Hydropower extends that plentitude to millions more, powering cities and industry from Idaho to California.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District (USACE) developed an environmental analysis in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended. The Final Environmental Assessment (EA) dated 30 September 2022, for Lower Columbia River Navigation Channel Dredged Material Transfer Site (W-60.9-IW-T) addresses the project purpose to provide an in-water holding area for temporary storage of dredged material from the lower Columbia River (LCR) federal navigation…

Federal water managers are changing release and storage schedules at several Pacific Northwest dams because of a late season and strong atmospheric river that began June 9. Significant amounts of rainfall have fallen across the Columbia River Basin filling reservoirs and rivers.To assist in managing river stages at Vancouver, Wash., the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Northwestern Division, is increasing storage behind the John Day Dam in Eastern Oregon. Where most dams on the Columbia and lower Snake rivers are “run of river” projects…

Since 1925 there has been some form of car ferry crossing of the lower Columbia River from Puget Island on the Washington side to Westport Slough on the Oregon side. In 1959 Wahkiakum County took over operation of the ferry and in 1962 had a steel-hulled ferry, named for the county, built by Nichols Boat Works at Hood River Oregon. This 12-car ferry served until 2015 when the county took delivery of a larger 23-car ferry. This ferry, named Oscar B, after Oscar Bergseng who served as ferry captain for 17 years. He died in 1985 after serving further years as ferry commissioner.

The bulk carrier Nenita ran aground in lower Columbia river near Skamokawa in Washington, USA. Watch standers with Sector Columbia River in Warrenton were notified at 3:21 a.m. that the 738-foot Nenita, a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier loaded with grain and less than 300,000 gallons of fuel, was headed outbound on the Columbia when it lost propulsion and ran hard aground. The vessel started taking on water, but the crew found the break in the forward peak of the vessel and stopped the flooding. The vessel was refloated, inspected and ordered by the Coast Guard to Kalama, Washington. There was no report of pollution or injuries stemming from the grounding. The pollution potential is less than 300,000 gallons of high-sulfur fuel oil, diesel fuel and gas oil.

Munson Boats announced its latest delivery of a 46’ Type IV Fire Emergency Response Vessel for the City of Vancouver Fire Department. Fully designed and built by Munson Boats in Burlington, Wash. the new vessel will operate in the lower Columbia River and can respond to incidents from Astoria, Ore. to Lewiston, Idaho. Twin Scania DI13-77M diesels producing a total of 1,500 horsepower are coupled to Hamilton 364 waterjets to achieve speeds in excess of 32 knots. The fire pump system delivers a maximum 2,500 gallons per minute (GPM) to eight fire hose hydrants and three available monitors.

Marine Firefighting Veteran Jeff Johnson Joins Resolve as Manager, Training and Response, and Pacific Region Responder. RESOLVE Marine Group has announced that Jeff Johnson has joined the company as Manager, Training and Response with responsibilities in both RESOLVE’s  Salvage & Fire (Americas) emergency response/OPA-90 subsidiary and at RESOLVE Maritime Academy, the training subsidiary. Jeff  focuses on continuous development of RESOLVE’s  U.S. and territorial waters Firefighting Response Network  and serves  as the company’s  Pacific Region Responder for marine incidents…

Marcon International, Inc. of Coupeville, Washington reported the purchase by a private East Coast operator of the U.S. flag utility boat Sarina (ex-Tern) from Olympic Tug and Barge, Inc. of Seattle, Wash. The vessel was originally built as a U.S. Coast Guard WLI class inland buoy tender in 1969 at CG shipyard in Curtis Bay, Baltimore, Md. and rebuilt in 1994 and 1996 to her present configuration. She is currently fitted out as a small general utility and supply vessel and has performed oil spill cleanup duties upon the waters of the lower Columbia River and its tributaries.

Guido Perla and Associates, Inc. (GPA) said that Kvichak Marine, a Seattle-Based designer and builder of aluminum vessels, has launched a Fast Pilot Boat for which GPA provided total production engineering for the construction of the hull, piping, propulsion, outfitting and electrical systems. The Pilot Boat, measuring 22 m long, is an all welded aluminum monohull of significant deadrise with a double chine. The vessel is designed as an all-weather pilot launch and will provide exceptional sea-keeping…

President George W. Bush recently delivered remarks on the Columbia River Channel Deepening Project in Portland, Ore., announcing a $15 million budget amendment for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin construction on the project. President George W. Bush said he will propose to add $15 million to the federal budget to fund deepening of the Columbia River navigation channel from the current 40 ft. depth to 43 ft.. This project, if approved, would allow ships to load larger grain cargoes for export. Following are excerpted comments from his speech, given August 13, 2004.

An independent review conducted and reported today by the Oregonian concludes that the government’s economic justifications for a controversial proposal to dredge the Columbia River are deeply flawed. The Corps of Engineers wants to spend $196 million to dredge more than 100 miles of the Columbia River. In a three-part series beginning today, the Oregonian will report that deficiencies in the analysis have significantly inflated the benefits to the region and an underestimated the costs to taxpayers. “The Corps of Engineers’ math does not add up,” said David Moryc, Lower Columbia River Coordinator for American Rivers. Since the Corps released their final Environmental Impact Statement in 1999…

In anticipation of adopting new safeguards regarding oil transfers over water and early spill response requirements, the Department of Ecology (Ecology) has added new spill prevention inspectors, a spill responder and a contingency plan reviewer to oversee mobile oil facilities. For the first time, Ecology is stationing a vessel and oil-handling facility inspector and a hazardous material responder in Bellingham. Both positions will focus on prevention and response activities in Island, San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom counties. There are three oil refineries and two oil pipelines in the region that generate heavy ship traffic in northwest Washington. To prevent oil spills in the Puget Sound and lower Columbia River, the department has added four inspectors.

The Tampa Bay economy receives more than $7 million a year in savings and direct income from the operation of the Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS), according a new NOAA sponsored study. The report details the first study of the navigational aid, which is in operation at 13 major ports across the United States. Tampa's PORTS system provides accurate real-time oceanographic information tailored to the specific needs of the 6,700 commercial vessels transiting Tampa Bay each year. "The PORTS system is a good example of how research and observing system development expertise can be applied to support safe, efficient and environmentally sound marine transportation," said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C.