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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 2020)
8A | SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2020 | SIUSLAW NEWS DREDGE from page 1A One of the most important fac- tors to consider when discussing water transport is water depth. The depth of the channels and rivers that lead to ports and docks are affected on a daily basis and impacted by a process called silt- ation. According to Marine Insight, the issue of siltation has been a problem for ship captains since sea trading began thousands of years ago. “Silting, the natural phenome- non of deposition of silt and sed- iments over the seabed, created a constant threat to the voyages of ships. People started fighting with the problem of siltation to ensure the safety of voyages but, due to lack in equipment for removing siltation, they started manual digging up of the mud by hand which was not that efficient and limited to shallow waterways.” Marine Insight reported these other important aspects of dredg- ing. • It helps in safer voyages by pacifying underwater traffic and maintaining proper bottom clear- ance. • Dredging can be employed for the extraction of shellfish and mollusks. • To channelize the construc- tion of a network of bridges, dams or other civil engineering works in water, dredging is a primary requirement. • Dredging is also important to make the marine ecosystem pol- lution-free. It helps in eco-friend- ly disposal of deposited polluting toxicants and harmful materials, and if done properly, without causing harm to the marine eco- system. • Dredging helps not only in preserving flora and fauna in water bodies, but is also used for maintaining recreational areas. The Port of Siuslaw is current- ly in the process of dredging the main docking areas for the fa- cility, which has experienced a marked decrease in visitors using watercrafts during the past five years. One of the reasons for this decrease may be the inability of larger, live aboard vessels to safely navigate the Siuslaw estuary. There are also fewer recre- ational crafts using the docks at the port and this is almost cer- tainly due in part to boat owners’ inability to confidently enter and exit the Siuslaw River and the wa- terway leading to the docks. Port Manager Dave Hunting- ton has been focused on dredg- ing the port since before he was hired by port commissioners two years ago to manage the facility. Huntington is an angler and has worked as a charter boat captain, As we walk this journey, from beginning to end…… Classic and Vintage diamond engagement rings, Gold & Silver wedding bands, Quality diamonds I’m so happy to have my true love and best friend. based primarily in Florence. He is familiar from his own experiences with just how criti- cal deep, clear waterways are to the recreational and commercial boaters. “I started working on this project pretty much as soon as I started here. It had been eight or 10 years since we had the port dredged and it just wasn’t as safe as it probably should be,” Hun- tington said. “It took us awhile to get the paperwork done. We were working with the Army Corps of Engineers and working with the company in Coos Bay to schedule us, but we are getting it done and I think it will make a big differ- ence.” The primary piece of equip- ment used to clear silt is the dredge, but because of the many different situations that occur in and around the waterways where ports are located, there are differ- ent types of dredges. The dredge being used at the port is known as a suction dredger. These dredges operate like a giant vacuum, in this case with a screw-like auger at the front of the dredge, which loosens compacted silt and dirt before sucking it up and pumping it through a series of long pipes to the location of the debris pile. The distance the pipes need to run depends on how far from the water being dredged has to Wedding Gift be transported before being de- posited. In the case of the Port of Siuslaw, the debris lines will run to the east end of the property, where debris will be deposited. There are also negative aspects of dredging that are inherent to the process, such as the creation of major disturbances of aquatic ecosystems. These disturbances often negatively impact the ma- rine life in the area that is dredged. There is also the likelihood of un- covering heavy metals and other industrial based toxins that can adversely affect the formation of hard-shelled mollusks and other sea creatures and spreading them to other areas. The danger of this type of con- tamination is behind a require- ment in the U.S. Clean Air Act that mandates all discharge lo- cations from a dredged site must be approved by the Army Corps of Engineers, which was done in this case last year. The end result of the dredging the Port of Siuslaw, which should be wrapping up in the next two weeks, will allow for the passage and docking of larger vessels and with those, tourist dollars spent in Historic Old Town Florence, at Three Rivers Casino Resort and in local stores, as well as those recreating in “Oregon’s Coastal Playground.” FRAA Winter Arts Festival T h i s year the F R A A Winter Arts Festi- val will be held Sat- urday, Jan. 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Jan.26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the Winter Music Festival week- end at the Florence Events Center. Curated by the Florence Regional Arts Alliance, the annual Arts Festival brings together local and regional art- ists and craftsmen to fill more than 30 booths with their latest creations. In addition to selling their art, over the course of the weekend select artists will demonstrate how their art or craft is created. A sample of the wide variety of unique creations includes works of art in wood, art for the garden, fiber cre- ations of all kinds, glass works of art, jewelry designs in various media and handmade goodies to sample. Admission to the Arts Festival is FREE. For more information on the Winter Arts Festival, contact Event Chair Clau- dia Brown at 541-902-1933. Registry Perfect gifts for for wedding and shower with complimentary gift wrapping. Kitchenware|Housewares| Tableware Home Décor| Bath & Body| Nordic Ware, Cuisinart and more; trusted brands that last. Florence Antiques & Coast Jewelers 1220 Bay Street, #100 Florence, OR 97439 541.997.8104 ..so much more than a kitchen store. 1258 Bay Street, Florence - 541-997-6060 events Karol Niemeyer 89980 Territorial Rd. 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