Northwest Environmental Advocates--Channel Deepening

Columbia and Willamette Channel Deepening Project, cont.

Channel Deepening Plagued with Economic Problems

Columbia River Ports Can Thrive Without Deepening
Impacts on Fishing Industry
Economics of Salmon Recovery

Columbia River Ports Can Thrive Without Deepening

The Corps' cost/benefit ratio does not accurately portray the true costs of the project. It did not incorporate losses to natural resources, crabbing industry, and commercial and sport fisheries in its cost calculations, nor did it factor in the expense of the extensive ecosystem restoration project called for by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in its Biological Opinion. According to NMFS science center documents, the Corps grossly underestimated the total amount of sediment that will require dredging. This means that the project could have far greater environmental impacts as in-water and upland disposal sites are enlarged to accommodate the material and as the length of dredging operations is extended to complete the project. The Corps also ignored the economic impacts of delaying the Willamette River portion of the project due to sediment contamination.

Currently, only 5 percent of ships using the channels require depths over forty feet. Cargo shipped from Portland consists of many specialty grains that do not require ships with deeper drafts. The "no project" and "non-structural" alternatives were not thoroughly evaluated in terms of other ways to keep the goods moving in and out of Portland. In light of the fact that the actual project cost exceeds that estimated in the Final Environmental Impact Statement, these alternatives should be re-analyzed.

Impacts on Fishing Industry

According to the Columbia River Crab Fisherman's Association, plans to dump dredged sediments over 9,000 acres of productive benthic habitat on the ocean floor will cause an estimated loss of 87,230,000 pounds of crab to the local crab fleet over the life of the project. The excessive size of the ocean disposal site more than doubles the potential for loss of prime marine habitat and mortality to crab and bottom fish. Ocean disposal will have a highly significant cumulative impact to the unique and irreplaceable near shore marine environment. Likewise, loss of both shallow- and deep-water habitat in the estuary from dredging and dredged spoil disposal will cause losses to declining fish populations of species including salmon, sturgeon, and smelt. Despite these known losses, the Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) included no economic evaluation of impacts to crab, groundfish, or salmon from ocean disposal, flow lane disposal, or estuarine island disposal. Likewise, the Final EIS did not consider the effect on the economy of the Lower Columbia River that would be sustained by the commercial and recreation fishing and shellfishing industries. Since these human and natural resource impacts were not included in the economic justification, the benefits of the project have been overestimated. A quantitative analysis of these adverse impacts must be conducted to fully understand the economic costs associated with this project.

Economics of Salmon Recovery

The net economic benefits of this project are minuscule compared to the federal tax dollars spent each year on salmon recovery. According to the Corps' Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS), this project will contribute an additional $17 million each year to the region's economy. In contrast, the federal treasury is spending nearly $500 million each year on salmon recovery efforts in the Columbia River Basin.

According to National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), this navigation project will unquestionably further degrade the already malfunctioning estuarine ecosystem system. In other words, this project will make current salmon recovery efforts more difficult and therefore will require yet even greater funds for salmon restoration. The proposed channel deepening will only lead to further degradation of an already failing system, and negate investments in salmon recovery programs currently working to save the 12 endangered stocks of salmon.

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