By Karen Robes Meeks
On May 25, 2019, the US Coast Guard opened its seasonal search and rescue detachment on the Rogue River in Gold Beach, Oregon, with Coast Guard Station Chetco River providing a 29-foot response boat.
However, Station Chetco River has to delay providing a 47-foot motor lifeboat because of shallower water depth in the Rogue River, which experienced significant shoaling last winter. The channel will need to be dredged before the lifeboat can be used. The US Army Corps of Engineers is expected to dredge it in July.
In the meantime, the Coast Guard Sector North Bend Command Center will regularly inform the boating public in the immediate Rogue River area of any limited Coast Guard response capability.