A controversial plan to deepen the main channel of the Columbia River by dredging has gotten the green light from key agencies in Oregon and Washington, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The $134 million project would deepen from 40 to 43 feet more than 100 miles of the Columbia, from Vancouver, Wash., to the river’s mouth near Astoria, Ore. That would entail dredging 14.5 million cubic yards of sand and other material from the river bottom, a move environmentalists say would destroy the habitats of crab, salmon, and other wildlife. That didn’t stop key agencies in Oregon and Washington, including the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, and the Washington Department of Ecology, from approving the project. Their decision was hailed by business interests, who say deepening the channel will attract global shipping and maintain the region’s economic competitiveness.
