Rock pit eyed as source for jetty repairsNASELLE – Residents of Government Road near the Naselle Bridge are apparently not the only ones who have questions for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers concerning their proposed reopening of the Naselle Quarry along Clearwater Creek.

“At this point I don’t understand the need for this pit,” said Representative Brian Blake. “I would hope the existing quarries would provide the rock.”

The proposed quarry was last used in 1946 to provide rock for jetty “A” construction. The Army would like to increase the size of the quarry from 1.5 acres to 10 acres, requiring the removal of 375,000 cubic yards of plant growth and soil in an area adjacent to Willipa Bay.

Blake said repairing the jetties was vital to the local economy. But, he wondered if the costs of reopening the quarry might outweigh the benefits.

“I’m not sure it makes economic sense,” he said, “and there is the risk to the environment.”

During the public comment period, which ended on Nov. 2, the Army Corps asked for public input concerning the proposed project. Pacific County weighed in on the issue in a letter sent to the Corps and drafted by Pacific County Community Development Director Mike DeSimone on behalf of Pacific County.

“The EA (environmental assessment) failed to include an accurate reference to local permit requirements including Pacific County Ordinance 147 A/B (Critical Areas and Resource Lands), SEPA compliance and Pacific County Ordinance 153 (Land Use),” states the letter.

The letter goes on to say, “As the site is designated as Forest Land of Long-term Commercial Significance, you are required to submit to Pacific County a complete and approved Washington State Department of Natural Resources Surface Mining Permit, including full reclamation plan.”

Bank Scientist Kathleen Sayce also submitted a letter to the Corps expressing concerns.

“From the point of view of efficient energy use, it is far more efficient to move loads by water than by road. This means that barging should be the preferred alternative,” she writes.

She also had some technical questions possible discrepancies in the environmental assessment.

“There is no mention of impacts of widening the access road between the quarry and Highway 101, which runs in a floodplain along the edge of the salt marsh on the Naselle River,” she writes. “This action would normally involve Coastal Zone Management consideration.

“Any expansion, widening or other improvements to Government Road will impact the floodplain, and should be addressed.”

The Corps has said that the Naselle Quarry is only one of the potential sites under consideration as a source for jetty rock. They continue to move ahead in the permitting process.