USACE Releases Final EIS on Grays Harbor Deepening

A supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Grays Harbor Navigation Improvement Project (GHNIP) will be available for review and comment until August 11th, 2014.

Since 2007, the Corps has been investigating the feasibility of deepening the channel to its congressionally authorized depth of -38 feet and released its draft Reevaluation Report and draft Supplemental EIS in early 2014 for public comment.

“The increase in the number of vessel calls combined with the diversity of cargoes currently being shipped from the Port makes this a critical project for the future competitiveness of our existing tenants. We must continue to improve our facilities in order to remain relevant in the future maritime industry,”  stated Port Executive Director Gary Nelson.

“We applaud the Corps for their hard work and diligence on completing the engineering, environmental and economic studies and are hopeful the review will result in a favorable record of decision for improvements to the Grays Harbor Navigation Improvement Project.”

The Grays Harbor Navigation Improvement Project is located 50 miles west of Olympia on the central coast of Washington. The purpose of the proposed project is to improve the efficiency of deep-draft vessel navigation in Grays Harbor.

USACE study proposes deepening of the federal navigation deep-draft channel in Grays Harbor from the currently maintained depth of -36 feet MLLW (mean lower low water) to the fully authorized depth of -38 feet MLLW.

The deepening would occur from the South Reach upstream to Cow Point Reach where the Port of Grays Harbor Terminal 4 is located. The Grays Harbor Navigation Improvement Project would deepen approximately 14.5 miles of the 27.5-mile channel.

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Press Release, July 16, 2014