The Dalles Dam Tribal Housing Village Development Plan, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Oregon

The Flood Control Act of 1950 authorized the construction of The Dalles Lock and Dam and the construction of a village to replace the inundated Spearfish and Celilo villages. The US Army Corps of Engineers has contracted with Akana to develop a Tribal Housing Village Development Plan which will identify the cost to design and construct a tribal village for members of the four Columbia River Treaty Tribes. If the plan is approved, the information will be submitted through the federal budget process, and if funded, the Corps will move forward to implement the plan. Completing the Village Development Plan will require considerable research and actions, including Tribal consultation, site selection, environmental review, and preliminary design, cost estimates and schedule. Akana will assess three sites for potential village development, including survey, geotechnical investigation, and environmental and socioeconomic evaluation, and prepare an Integrated Village Development Plan report that documents the results of the assessment and recommendation of a single site for construction. Concept development plans will be developed for each site, and the preferred site development option will be completed to 30% design, along with cost estimates and construction schedule. The Plan will serve as the support documentation for the budget request to Congress. Throughout plan development, engagement with the Treaty Tribes and the public will be essential, providing opportunities for the public to learn about this project, and provide input as the Corps works through the NEPA process. In addition, the design process will include several opportunities for the Tribes, Columbia River stakeholders and the public to provide input to the corps during the design process.