Corps recommends removing barrier to Long Tom fish passage
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from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Public comment is welcomed on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recommendation to remove its Monroe drop structure, located on the Long Tom River at river mile 6.9.
The public can learn more at a virtual public information session about the project June 13 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., accessible through the Corps website or WebEx.
The drop structure acts as a fish passage barrier and has resulted in the loss of upstream habitat and ecosystem function due to the historic channelization of the Long Tom River.
Channelization reduced the available amount of riverine habitat suitable for Chinook salmon, cutthroat trout, and Pacific lamprey by disconnecting nearby side channels and reducing the length of the river below the Fern Ridge Dam from 36 to 23 miles.
The recommended plan would restore approximately 43 acres of aquatic and floodplain habitat and enhance connectivity to a historic meander. The Corps would install a larger culvert, engineer a pool and riffle structure, and armor the OR-99 bridge piers to prevent scour caused by increased velocities upstream.
The draft Integrated Feasibility Report and EA is available online:
- Appendix C: Climate change assessment
- Appendix D: Economic and incremental cost analysis
- Appendix E: Habitat evaluation, benefits, quantification, and incremental analysis
- Appendix H: Engineering and design
- Appendix I: Hydraulics and hydrology
Questions or comments regarding the draft EA should be emailed to NWP-LongTom-EcoRes@usace.army.mil or postmarked by June 30, 2023 to District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District, Attn: CENWP-PME-E / Elizabeth Santana, P.O. Box 2946, Portland, Oregon 97208-2946.
Please state that you are responding to the “Public Notice Availability of Draft Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Assessment for the Long Tom Channel Improvement Project, May 26, 2023.”
