Posted on August 2, 2020
BANDON, Ore. — Funding for the maintenance of small ports on the south coast is one step closer to being available.
How much funding could come and how will ports use it?
Safety is priority when it comes to boating.
But ports along the south coast have been in need of funding to maintain that safety.
“When it’s shoaled up and there’s waves breaking across the channel, it’s pretty dangerous for smaller boats and pretty much any boat to cross the channel,” said Port of Bandon manager Jeff Griffin. “So when the Corps can come in and dredge deep in the channel, it makes a big difference.”
The Port of Bandon, Port of Umpqua and the Port of Siuslaw have all had their eyes on a federal funding bill.
According to Congressman Peter DeFazio, the Water Resource Development Act of 2020 will fix the diversion of the harbor maintenance funds, bringing about $10 billion to those harbors.
“Previously the Corps wouldn’t come into the harbor,” said DeFazio, “they would only do the harbor entrance. This bill will allow dredging inside the Port of Bandon, which will be very helpful to them and Siuslaw also has some shoaling issues right now that are important.”
The bill has passed in the House and now will move for a vote in the Senate.
DeFazio says if it’s signed into law, work would start next year.
“It’s very exciting,” added Griffin. “It’s been something that Oregon ports have been working hard with our representative in congress to make some progress on and this is a big deal. It’s taken a lot of work to get there.”
Griffin says it’s understood that change doesn’t happen overnight, but he says this is a good step forward for the safety of the ports.
Source: kpic
