a. All
relevant state and federal water quality standards shall be met
by dredging and dredged material disposal activities.
b. When evaluating the feasibility of a disposal option,
both environmental
and economic factors shall be taken into consideration. However,
the final selection shall favor the option with the fewest relative
environmental impacts.
c. Projects shall avoid, minimize, and mitigate for unavoidable
loss of
habitat, resource, and use.
d. Preference shall be given to the use of those sites
or methods that allow for the beneficial use of the dredged
material.
e. Dredging and dredged material disposal shall not disturb
more than
the minimum area necessary for the project and shall be conducted
so as to minimize impacts on wetlands and other estuarine resources.
Loss or disruption of fish and wildlife habitat and damage to
essential properties of the estuarine resources shall be minimized
by careful location, design, and construction of:
i. facilities requiring dredging
ii. sites designated to receive dredged material, and
iii. dredging operation staging areas and equipment marshalling
yards.
f. Erosion, sedimentation, increased flood hazard, inhibited fish
utilization and passage, and other undesirable changes in circulation
shall be avoided in the dredging and disposal of dredged materials.
g. Adverse short-term effects of dredging and aquatic
area disposal
such as increased turbidity, release of organic and inorganic
materials or toxic substances, depletion of dissolved oxygen,
disruption of the food chain, loss of benthic productivity, and
disturbance of fish foraging and rearing activities, fish runs
and important localized biological communities shall be minimized.
h. The appropriate review/permitting process for impacts
to an ESA-listed
species has been followed and is approved/permitted by the appropriate
Fisheries agency.
2. Coordination
a. The timing of dredging and dredged material disposal operations
shall be coordinated with the appropriate State and Federal agencies,
local governments, and private interests to protect estuarine
aquatic and shoreland resources, and minimize interference with
commercial and recreational fishing. All activity shall follow
the guidelines for in-water work assigned by State and Federal
resource agencies for the Columbia River Estuary.
b. Bottom sediments in the dredging area, including possible sloughing
zones, shall be characterized by the applicant in accordance
with the DMEF, as developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Northwestern Division, Seattle and Portland Districts; U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency Region 10; Oregon Department of Environmental
Quality; Washington State Department of Ecology; and Washington
State Department of Natural Resources. Information that may be
required includes, but is not limited to, sediment grain size
distribution, organic content, oil and grease, selected heavy
metals, pesticides, and benthic biological studies.
