Posted on March 14, 2016
The Port of Ilwaco will receive a new year of vital maintenance work on the channel that links it with the mouth of the Columbia River, port officials learned last week.
An expenditure of $1.4 million for channel maintenance in Ilwaco was approved for 2016.
Routine dredging of the port’s access channel is needed to keep it deep enough to accommodate commercial fishing vessels and the U.S. Coast Guard local motor lifeboats.
Spending was not approved for the coming year to study replacing pile dikes that keep sediment out of the Ilwaco and Chinook port channels. Requests were made for $700,000 for Ilwaco and $800,000 for Chinook.
“Chinook should be okay for 2016 and we will be pushing again for funding in 2017,” said Guy Glenn Jr., who oversees port finances for both Ilwaco and Chinook.
Glenn credited active engagement by Washington’s federal lawmakers for the success with fundraising in the nation’s capital.
“We are extremely appreciative of the efforts of our congressional delegation, Sen. Murray, Sen. Cantwell and Rep. Herrera Beutler,” Glenn said Feb. 11. “I’ll see Sen. Murray next week to personally thank her and was honored by a personal call from her today, to update us with news on our channels. In March, I’ll be headed to D.C. with the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association advocating for funding for Ilwaco, Chinook and other small Ports facing similar challenges.”
The Port of Ilwaco also is included in the Fiscal Year 2017 Civil Works Budget of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The port hasn’t previously been included in this major spending plan. Details are still being determined, Glenn said.
