Friends of the Kaw Members and Supporters ~ You can submit written comment through September 15

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze the direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of commercial dredging of sand and gravel from the Kansas River in the State of Kansas. 

 The existing permits for dredging, last issued in 2007, allowed for a potential annual total of 3,150,000 tons of materials to be extracted from the Kansas River. The current DA permits originally scheduled to expire on December 31, 2012 were indefinitely extended until after completion of an EIS. Five applicants are currently requesting to extract 1,900,000 tons of material per year from the river at eight locations.

Submit written comments by September 15.  Then there will be another very important opportunity for public comments when the public notice comes out with the draft Environmental Impact Statement.  We expect that to happen in late 2015 or early 2016. 

Submit Written Comments:  Questions and comments regarding the proposed action and EIS should be addressed to Mr. Brian Donahue, Regulatory Project Manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 601 East 12th Street, Room 402, Kansas City, MO 64106; (816) 389-3703; brian.t.donahue@usace.army.mil. For special needs (visual or hearing impaired, Spanish translation, etc.) requests during the scoping meetings, please call Brian Donahue by July 20, 2015.

The Federal Register Notice can be viewed here.

Read more about how dredging affects the river on the Stop Dredging page of our site.