Plan Revision Process
CREST coordinated the revision of the Dredged Material Management Plan with government organizations, citizens, and dredging interests in the lower Columbia River. To accomplish this coordination, CREST established an Advisory Committee. The purpose of the Committee was to provide input regarding dredged material disposal needs, history, limitations, and policy for the Columbia River Estuary, as well as review the draft Plan and provide feedback to CREST. The Advisory Committee was made up of local governments, state and federal agencies, commercial fishing interests, and local citizens. CREST conducted meetings with the local planning officials as well as local and regional port officials to discuss the disposal sites within their jurisdiction. Meetings were also held with the Corps of Engineers to determine their disposal needs. A meeting of the Advisory Committee was held in March to review the Draft and work through outstanding issues.

CREST used the 1998 Army Corps of Engineers Dredged Material Management Plan & Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement: Columbia and Lower Willamette River Federal Navigation Channel as a main source of information. Because the Corps is the major dredging and disposal dredging project proponent within the Estuary it was important to coordinate with them to determine their projected disposal needs and to provide consistency between the two plans.