Posted on January 26, 2019
A boat sits at the Hells Gate State Park marina on a breezy Wednesday afternoon in Lewiston. Park staff have until March 1 to complete dredging of the Snake River near the park, but a partial government shutdown may force a delay. Tribune/Pete Caster
Officials at Hells Gate State Park are preparing to dredge the marina there, but are in a holding pattern because of the ongoing partial shutdown of the federal government.
The water depth of the Hells Gate Marina, which sits off the Snake River south of Lewiston, falls to as low as 1.5 feet during low-flow periods of summer. The marina hasn’t been dredged since 1992, according to park manager Charlie Chase, and larger boats have trouble getting in and out of it. Under the dredging plan, the marina would be restored to a depth of about 5 feet.
The park obtained a dredging permit from the Army Corps of Engineers, rented a dredge and prepared a dredge pond to deposit silt that park employees will suck out of the marina. However, the plan needs to be approved by officials at NOAA Fisheries to ensure dredging doesn’t harm protected wild fish species like steelhead, fall chinook and spring chinook. All three species are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Workers at the federal fisheries agencies are on furlough because of the ongoing shutdown and are unable to complete the review, which is commonly referred to as consultation.
“The corps is working and they are ready to go but we don’t have the permit by (NOAA Fisheries), and until we have that permit we will be unable to dredge,” Chase said.
The park received a $90,000 grant from the state Waterways Improvement Fund to pay for the work. The fund is maintained through the money that people pay to register boats in Idaho.
Permitted dredging on the Snake River is allowed in a narrow seasonal window during winter months when few protected fish are present. That window closes March 1. Chase said it’s possible the park could receive an extension if work begins prior to the deadline.
Even if the shutdown is resolved soon and federal employees return to work, Chase said he is unsure whether they will be able to process the permit in time for dredging to begin.
“Say the federal government went right back into business. How long is going to take (NOAA Fisheries) to catch up and get to this permit? We don’t know,” Chase said.
Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.
Source: The Lewiston Tribune
