CHINOOK: Annual dredging has commenced at the Port of Chinook. The mission this year is to remove as much as 15,000 cubic yards of material that have accumulated at the port. “We are budgeting on 30 operational days of dredging, which would be approximately 300 operation hours,” said Port Manager Guy Glenn Jr. in a Jan. 27 email.
“The entire budget for dredging in the Chinook Marina this season is around $120,000, which we are targeting. If all goes as planned, as much as 15,000 cubic yards of material will be removed.” The port is permitted to do annual maintenance dredging from Nov. 1 though Feb. 28, referred to as the “in-water work window,” designed to avoid potential impacts on migrating salmon. Barring any disruptions, the port is planning to dredge through Feb. 28 and may ask for an extension into March. The Port of Chinook marina is permitted to minus 10 feet in the commercial dock area and minus 8 feet in the recreational dock areas, Glenn said. Currently, however, depths vary throughout the marina — ranging from 3.5 feet to 9 feet.
