< Back to index

Columbia River Channel Deepening: Economically, Environmentally and Legally Sound
by Larry Paulson

It is irrefutable that we need the deepening of the Columbia River channel to handle the increasing ship sizes and trade volumes for the survival of our regional economy. The Columbia River is the economic lifeline to our region and thousands of jobs here depend on our ability to connect to international markets. Washington State is the third most trade dependant state in the entire nation.

This Columbia River Channel Improvement Project remains economically, environmentally, and legally sound, and here are the significant facts:

Businesses and farmers need a deeper channel. Today's ships are larger and need a 43-foot deep channel to fully load and transport bulk and containerized cargo from Clark County and the Northwest to global markets. Over 40,000 jobs - averaging $46,000 in wages per year -- depend on cost-effective Columbia River maritime commerce to transport $14 billion of cargo to world markets each year.

This project fully complies with federal and state environmental laws. Favorable biological opinions by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries in 2002 and water quality and coastal zone management approvals by Oregon and Washington state environmental agencies in 2003 have proven that this project is environmentally sound.

Salmon will not be harmed by channel deepening. Juvenile salmon travel near the river shore in depths less than 20 feet. Dredging will only occur out in the navigation channel at depths below 40 feet. An independent panel of national expert scientists thoroughly reviewed the best available science and concluded that this project posed no anticipated measurable impacts to endangered species and their habitat.

Columbia River sand is clean. Many detailed studies have demonstrated the cleanliness and safety of Columbia River sand, which is further validated by the large number of public and private organizations who want dredged sand placed on their land. Many other ports and businesses, including the Port of Vancouver, have used clean, dredged sand on many projects.

Mitigation will take place for all unavoidable impacts, as reviewed and approved by state and federal agencies. For every acre of wetlands impacted by this project, 12 acres of new wetlands will be created. The channel consists of 3.5% of the river, and only about 60% of the channel needs to be deepened between the mouth and Vancouver, since the rest of the river is naturally deeper than 43 feet or is outside the channel.

This project will leave the river and estuary in better condition than today. Six approved ecosystem restoration features were added above-and-beyond any required mitigation. These features and extensive monitoring will ensure that the project leaves the river and estuary better off than before the project began.

All issues in the lawsuit have already been addressed. Each federal and state agency review included a high level of public involvement through public hearings and written comment periods. The independent scientific panels were open and transparent and included many project opponents. Whenever legitimate concerns have been raised during the past decade, the project has been amended to address those concerns. The recent lawsuit appears to raise no new issues, but merely rehashes already addressed or debunked arguments.

Opponents' real agenda goes beyond channel deepening. The lawsuit to stop channel deepening reveals the true intentions of these extreme environmental activists: limiting or ending ALL dredging on the river. They want to stop the yearly operations and maintenance dredging that ensures the current 40-foot deep-draft channel in the lower Columbia River -- and the 14-foot shallow-draft channel from Vancouver to Lewiston, Idaho. They are trying to cut off the Northwest's transportation lifeline to world markets.

Support for this project continues to grow. Every week, new businesses, farmers, labor unions, and community groups step forward to support channel deepening. Full state funding (equaling 35% of total project costs) has been appropriated by both Washington and Oregon. Congress has already appropriated $10 million and the Northwest Congressional delegation - led by Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Congressman Brian Baird -- is united in their efforts to fulfill the federal funding requirements for this vital project.

Rather than wasting scarce resources fighting frivolous lawsuits, federal and state environmental agencies have carefully reviewed and approved this project and focus on enhancing our infrastructure and good jobs for our economy. A decade of rigorous analysis has proven that the channel project is economically, environmentally and legally sound. So, roll on, Columbia, roll on!

Larry Paulson serves as executive director of the Port of Vancouver, on the board of the Columbia River Channel Coalition, and as president-elect of the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association.