Gravel problem returns to McKay Creek
By Terry Murry on Thursday, June 16th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – After two weekends of heavy rain, lower McKay Creek has been impacted again due to higher-than-normal releases of water from the McKay Dam.
“At releases of 1,450 cubic feet per second, we have more erosion,” Pendleton Public Works Director Bob Patterson said. “So, we’re back to going back into the permitting process to get in there, clean out the gravel and reestablish the bank.”
Pendleton is contracting for a McKay Creek basin study that officials hope will make a difference. Right now the process for being allowed into the river to clear out accumulated debris is a lengthy one.
“We hope we can use the basin study as information to further get changes done to allow us the ability to get in there more often with less permitting to keep the gravel clean and keep the channel identified and open,” he said.
File photo by Don Ferguson
