Dredging of the Hells Gate State Park marina along the Snake River near Lewiston begins next month.
A rented dredge is expected to arrive from Montana on January 6th, and dredging by park employees will start within a few days. The marina was last dredged in 1992, and has since filled with sediment from the Snake River.
From early July through late summer, water depth in the marina drops to as low as 1-and-half feet, making it impossible for larger vessels to enter and exit. About 20,000 cubic yards of sediment will be removed during the month-long work at a time deemed least impactful to protected salmon and steelhead, and the spoils will be pumped north into a settling pond on park property.
A grant from the state Waterways Improvement Fund covers the $90,000 project.
Park officials had planned to dredge the marina last year, but wasn’t able to get the needed permits in a timely manner due to the partial shutdown of the federal government. (Lewiston Tribune)
