Profiling Survey of the Columbia River Project Site Completed

Marine environmental consulting firm CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (CSA) has completed a sediment profile imaging (SPI)/plan view (PV) survey of an 85-mile stretch of the Columbia River.

The survey, conducted between The Dalles, Oregon to Vancouver, Washington, supports planning for the Cascade Renewable Transmission (CRT) Project, a proposed underwater and underground transmission line capable of transferring approximately 1,100 MW of energy beneath the Columbia River to the Portland area.

This environmental baseline survey, awarded to CSA by HDR on behalf of the CRT Project, utilized CSA’s exclusive SPI/PV technology.

This specialized capability is led by CSA Senior Scientist and Director of SPI Services, Ian Stupakoff, who brings more than a decade of experience using SPI equipment.

Led by Stupakoff, the field team deployed CSA's SPI/PV camera system to acquire two types of images. The SPI camera captures vertical profiles of the sediment producing high‑resolution images that reveal a cross‑section of sediment layers, textures, redox boundaries, subsurface organisms, and estimates of bioturbation depth, without disturbing the sediment’s natural structure. In contrast, PV images provide plan-view perspectives that reveal grain types, shell deposits, surface morphology, and visible organisms.

"The SPI/PV system is incredibly versatile, and we have already successfully used it to study