Draft EA for Lower Snake River dredging project

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, is inviting comments on the Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and the Lower Snake River Channel Maintenance Immediate Need Dredging for Commercial Navigation Environmental Assessment (EA).

The Corps is proposing to restore the lower Snake River federal navigation channel by removing accumulated sediment from the channel below the Ice Harbor Dam navigation lock near Pasco, Washington, and near the confluence of the lower Snake and Clearwater Rivers near Clarkston, Washington, and Lewiston, Idaho.

The proposed dredging and associated disposal would occur during the in-water work window from Dec. 15, 2022, through March 1, 2023.

The dredged material would be disposed of in-water at Bishop Bar, River Mile 118 of the lower Snake River in Washington State.

The 30-day review and comment period began on July 18 and concludes on August 18. The Draft FONSI, EA, and all supporting appendices are available at the Corps’ website.