LaPUSH — Dredging operations at the mouth of the Quillayute River are scheduled to begin Sept. 25 and last through December.
The project is expected to keep the channel clear for the Coast Guard and the commercial fishing fleet, which operate out of the Quileute Harbor Marina, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
An estimated 70,000 cubic yards of material from the marina and the river mouth will be dredged from the channel, and clean fill from dredging will be placed around Rialto Beach to replace eroding beach material, said Bill Dowell, spokesman for the Corps of Engineers.
Portable Hydraulic Dredging, Inc., of Eagle Creek, Ore., was awarded the $1.7 million contract.
The company has begun staging equipment near LaPush in preparation for the project.
The dredging operations support Coast Guard Station Quillayute River which performs search-and-rescue and marine safety operations from the marina located on the Quileute Reservation at the mouth of the Quillayute River, Dowell said.
The station’s area of responsibility covers 63 miles of Pacific Ocean coast and extends 50 nautical miles offshore.
The dredging ensures continuous Coast Guard operations, opening channels for Coast Guard vessels between the marina and ocean.
Access to the marina is also an important asset for the Quileute tribe’s commercial fishing fleet and for recreational boaters and fishermen.
The Quileute economy relies heavily on the marina and its access to the ocean.
Corps of Engineers officials work with state and federal agencies and tribes to minimize aquatic ecosystem impacts caused by dredging operations.
As part of the operation, officials are required to submit a biological evaluation in accordance with the Endangered Species Act and an environmental assessment in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act.
