USACE contracted ANAMAR to conduct a baseline survey to characterize benthic infaunal and epibenthic communities and substrate types at a study area located off of North Head, WA.
Project Statute
- MPRSA Section 102
The US Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District annually dredges approximately 3.5 million cubic yards of sand from the Mouth of the Columbia River (MCR) federal navigation entrance channel (FNC). Portland District, in cooperation with other agencies and stakeholders, sought to identify a location for a nearshore placement area for dredged material. The addition of a nearshore disposal site provided additional long-term disposal options, increase efficiency of dredging options by using sites closer to the FNC, protect the existing jetties, and beneficially using dredged material by keeping it within the MCR nearshore littoral zone.
Data and information from this baseline study provided a better understanding of the overall environment in the littoral zone off of North Head and was used to select the disposal site location within the study area that maximized beneficial nearshore placement of dredged material. Placement of material at the nearshore site will address significant beach erosion issues and divert a sand resource that would be otherwise lost to the littoral zone when disposed offshore at the deepwater disposal site.
