SNAKE RIVER, Wash. — The Walla Walla District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will start dredging the lower Snake River’s navigation channel starting January 2023, according to a press release from the Corps district.
Dredging efforts remove sediment that has accumulated in the water. This Snake River dredging will be done in the federal navigation channel below the Ice Harbor Lock and Dam near Pasco and near where the river meets the Clearwater River around Clarkston and near Lewiston, Idaho, according to the press release.
A report from our sister organization the Spokesman-Review said the navigation channel is often filled with sediment that’s washed downstream from mountains in Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
The sediment recovered from the dredging efforts will be disposed of near River Mile 118, near an area called Bishop Bar on the north shore. The areas being dredged were reported by the Corps’ at depths between four and nine feet. Near Bishop Bar, the river is about 68 feet deep, according to the Corps.
Dredging work is through general contractor in Vancouver, HME Construction Inc., in a $5.8 million contract, according to the press release. The company has until March 1, 2023 to complete the work.
