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With dredging at the NOAA Marine Operations Center-Pacific (MOC-P) facility just a few months away, contractors have begun getting the dredge spoil site ready.
The facility, which NOAA leases from the Port of Newport, serves as a homeport for two NOAA ships and provides administrative, engineering, maintenance, and logistical support to NOAA’s Pacific fleet.
Jim Durkee , manager of the NOAA facility for the Port, explained the process like this: “This site will receive sediment pumped up from the berths at the pier to maintain depths required for the ships.”
According to him, the water will run through a series of ponds, weirs, meanders, and check dams with the goal of removing the sediment from the water before finally returning it into the bay.
Bergerson Construction Inc will handle the dredging and Big River Construction has been getting the spoil site ready on their behalf.