THE OREGONIAN, TUSEDAY, JUNE 13, 1978
” CITY COUNCIL REPORT RATES SLOUGH DREDGING TOO COSTLY”
By STEVE JENNING
of the Oregonian staff
The proposed dredging of the Columbia River Slough for deep-draft barge traffic is “not economically feasible” according to a Portland City Council report.
Written by City Engineer Cowles Mallory the report said that dredging and re-channeling parts of the slough would provide benefits to local industries, but that the benefits “are not sufficient to justify inclusion of navigational facilities in the project.”
Mallory recommends that the council discontinue navigational planning for the slough. Additionally, his report requests council affirmation of a plan by the Port of Portland and the Army Corps of Engineers to plug the western mouth of the slough at the Willamette River.
The flood control measure would allow quicker sale and development of Port property in the Rivergate Industrial District.
Mallory’s recommendations follow closely findings made in a report commissioned by the corps. If adopted by the City Council on Wednesday, the city engineer’s study would seriously jeopardize efforts by the Columbia Slough Development Corp., a local improvement district representing businesses advocating deep-water navigation improvements.
Connie McCready, the city commissioner in charge of public works, has recommended approval of the Mallory report.
“If it is accepted, it will be a big move in the right direction,” said Lloyd Anderson, executive director of the Port.
“Plan 1 (the plugging of the slough at the Willamette River) permits the more rapid development of about 1,000 acres in the Rivergate district.” Anderson said.
James Bigelow, president of the Bigelow Machinery Co. and a supporter of navigational improvements, called the Cowles report a “rewrite” of the corps-commissioned study.
“We say the numbers are not true,” said Bigelow. “We’ll say so at the City Council meeting. The city engineer took everything they (the corps) said for granted.”
The Mallory report restated earlier studies that placed the cost of a dredging at between $11.4 million and $22.6 million, depending on the scope of the project.
“We don’t know how they came up with such high figures,” Bigelow said. “We think we can do the project for about $5 million.” The local improvement district members would tax themselves for “seed money” for the work. Local and federal tax dollars, however, would provide the bulk of financial support.
Bigelow said about 40 businesses along the slough use barges to ship manufactured goods and raw materials.
“It’s a lot cheaper than trucking it or shipping it by rail,” he said.
The Port-backed plan will cost “something over $15 million.” Anderson said. It includes construction of a grade-level road and some recreational and parks development.
With a plug already in place at the slough’s eastern end, the corps plan would aim at stabilizing the level of the waterway as well as the depth of Smith and Bybee Lakes.
“The lakes dry up every summer,” Anderson said. “With the plug, they could be year-round recreational areas.”
The cost would be split “about 50-50” between local and federal resources, said Ray Jaren, the project study manager for the corps.
Jaren said Plan 1 was rejected by corps headquarters in Washington D.C. Local corps administrators have resubmitted the development proposal, however, and are hopeful it will be approved.
