FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 15, 2021
CONTACT:
Emily Bowes, emily@rogueriverkeeper.org, 541-488-9831
Jonah Sandford, jonah@nedc.org, 503-768-6726
Hellgate Jetboat Excursions withdraws dredge and fill permit application
After extensive public comment participation and a request for a public hearing, the Grants Pass-based jetboat company decides to withdraw their permit application to dredge several locations on the Rogue River.
[Grants Pass, OR] —On June 4, 2021, a public notice was jointly issued by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) regarding the jetboat tour company, Hellgate Jetboat Excursions, request to dredge nine locations within a 17-mile stretch of the Rogue River. Hellgate Jetboat Excursions had previously submitted a similar application for five locations in 2018 but withdrew the application only a few months later. Low flow conditions caused by high temperatures and lack of precipitation can make it difficult for the 50-foot boats to travel up and down the river in early September when the company’s regular season ends. By using excavators, prop dredging, and sand bags, the jetboat company planned to excavate the riverbed to be able to continue tours during drought conditions in late summer.
The public notice stated that Hellgate was requesting to dredge up to 1,050 cubic yards of sediment at nine locations as needed annually. The selected locations are within designated Essential Salmonid Habitat (ESH) which also requires a permit for dredge and fill activities to be obtained from the Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL). The DSL stated that the Hellgate application was lacking and deemed incomplete. However, the applications were put forth for public comment by the DEQ and USACE.
Rogue Riverkeeper launched a campaign to bring the issues around this application to the attention of the public in coordination with Northwest Environmental Defense Center and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. A 30-day extension to the public comment period was requested because the proposed permit application contained complex technical, scientific, and recreational issues as well as Wild & Scenic federal protection concerns relating to the dredging and discharge of fill material in the Rogue River. Community members who use the river and live along it required adequate time to develop thoughtful comments in regards to this proposal and how it would impact them.
After an extension was granted, over a thousand community members submitted comments to the agencies asking them to deny the permit until the insufficient information which was lacking in the application was provided for public review of the full impacts of the proposed activity. Commenters also requested that the agencies consider practicable alternatives and public benefit, and that the dredging activity should be fully evaluated to determine the potential harm to waters of the United States, a violation of the Clean Water Act.
The USACE withdrew the application on December 3, 2021 from consideration when the company failed to respond to requests for additional information and the DEQ rejected the application without prejudice a week later on December 9th.
“This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act and with drought conditions continuing to worsen each year it is important now more than ever to consider the impacts these types of activities have on the health of our watershed as it faces the increasing impacts from climate change. The health of our native salmon populations has an economic impact on anglers, rafting companies, fishing guides, and the other businesses that support the tourist industry in Southern Oregon. The Rogue River is an asset and resource not only for recreational opportunities but for drinking water, native fish species, scenic beauty and healthy local communities. Many businesses rely on its clean water for their livelihood and it does not seem appropriate that one single business gets to make decisions for the river that would impact everyone that uses it.” - Emily Bowes, Rogue Riverkeeper Conservation Director
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