Fazio Brothers dredges sand from the channel of the Columbia River for use on golf courses and in construction projects. The firm wanted to renew its permits to dredge reaches of the Lower Columbia River, a site within the critical habitat of several species. A biological assessment was required to assess the presence of salmon, steelhead, bull trout, coastal cutthroat trout, bald eagle, Aleutian goose, and the Steller sea lion. With numerous salmon listings in past years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and National Marine Fisheries Service have heightened their scrutiny of projects that may impact fish and fish habitat. This has resulted in permit review periods of 12 to 18 months. By providing a detailed and comprehensive biological assessment, the entire project-including review time-was completed under budget in less than 12 months and required only minimal changes to the biological assessment.
