Contested dredging project at dam finished

Channel dredging at Ice Harbor Dam, part of a Lower Snake River dredging project that was the subject of a court challenge, has been completed.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials said the contractor, American Construction Co., removed about 2,000 cubic yards of material at the downstream lock approach of the dam. Work started Monday and was completed Wednesday.

Lock operations have returned to normal and the dredging equipment has relocated upstream to work on areas in the Snake and Clearwater rivers at Lewiston-Clarkston.

Earlier this month the U.S. District Court in Seattle denied a preliminary injunction filed by environmental groups and the Nez Pearce Tribe to halt the corps’ plans to dredge parts of the Lower Snake River. The opponents filed the lawsuit in November to halt the $6.7 million dredging project.

Following the court ruling, Lt. Col. Timothy Vail, Walla Walla District commander, said the decision allowed the corps to proceed with maintenance of the federal navigation channel and related port berthing areas to aid barge traffic on the Lower Snake from the Columbia River to Lewiston.

Corps officials said maintenance dredging last occurred in the lower Snake River navigation channel in the winter of 2005-2006. Sediment accumulation has since encroached on certain areas of the federal navigation channel and related port berthing areas.

The Inland Port and Navigation Group and the Columbia Snake River Irrigators Association intervened in the lawsuit in support of the corps.