SEATTLE -- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Seattle District is actively monitoring the widespread navigation hazards caused by the recent accumulation of large woody debris carried into navigable waters of the Puget Sound region and on the Washington coast, due to multiple atmospheric rivers and heavy precipitation impacting the region.
“Our immediate priority is supporting ongoing flood-fighting operations to protect local communities,” said Navigation Chief Bradford Leland Schultz II.
“While our primary debris vessel, the M/V PUGET, is undergoing annual maintenance, we are actively working to procure additional assets for debris collection. This will enhance our capability to address the debris field, once the flood response ends,” Schultz said.
Seattle District cannot currently determine the amount of large woody debris that has washed up, until after the water recedes. Although the large woody debris presents a significant hazard to navigation, impacts on commercial traffic (ferries, military, ports, etc.) have been limited so far.
USACE urges mariners to be cautious and report any navigation hazards they encounter on its public website or https://www.nws.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Navigation/Debris-Recovery/.
To learn more about Seattle District’s Navigation Branch’s debris recovery mission, click https://www.nws.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Navigation/
Release no. 25-038