The US Army Corps, Portland District contracted ANAMAR to conduct sediment characterizations of Cathlamet Bay Federal Side Channel (Tongue Point, Multnomah County), Oregon Slough Downstream Shallow Draft Channel (Multnomah County), and Skipanon Channel (Clatsop County), Oregon
Project Statute
- CWA Section 404
USACE routinely dredges several projects along the Oregon Coast and Columbia River to maintain their federally authorized navigation channels. In accordance with the Clean Water Act, USACE conducts sampling and analysis of dredged material from these project areas prior to dredging to determine suitability for unconfined in-water disposal of dredged sediments and aquatic exposure of the post-dredge surface material. These sediment characterization projects are necessary to determine if dredged material is suitable for unconfined aquatic disposal or upland disposal options (in the case of Cathlamet Bay and Skipanon Channel material) or spreading across multiple locations in the Columbia River flow lane (in the case of Oregon Slough material). There is an ongoing need in these three areas to maintain federal navigation channel for use by various vessels traversing these areas.
The data quality objectives for this sediment characterization were to:
1) Characterize sediments to be dredged from the project area in accordance with protocols found in the Sediment Evaluation Framework for the Pacific Northwest (SEF)
2) Collect, handle, and analyze representative sediment from the dredge boundaries and in accordance with SEF protocols and QA/QC requirements.
3) Characterize sediment to be dredged to determine its suitability for unconfined aquatic placement and aquatic exposure or to inform upland disposal options.
4) Analyze representative sediment samples for physical and chemical parameters as outlined in the SEF and certain chemical parameters listed in the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) applicable to freshwater fishes (for Oregon Slough dredged material) or marine fishes (for Skipanon dredged material).
ANAMAR was responsible for coordinating all field logistics, subcontracting a suitable vibracore vessel, leading and supervising all field sample collection and sample processing activities, coordinating shipping logistics with the laboratories to ensure samples arrived in good condition and were processed within holding times, performing data QA/QC, compiling results into tables, and identifying exceedances of screening criteria.
