Stuggle continues to find funds to fix Steamboat Slough dike

Local officials are continuing their search to find funds to save the eroding shoreline and dike on Steamboat Slough Road.

The Columbia River is eating into the bank of the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge for the White-tailed Deer, and the threat of a major slippage has led Wahkiakum County to close Steamboat Slough Road.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has said it doesn't have money in its budget to protect the shoreline. The dike is property of Diking District 4, of which the Fish and Wildlife Service is the largest landowner. Because of a lack of funds in the mid-1980's, officials said, the district withdrew from the US Army Corps of Engineer's diking program, and now, the Corps says it has neither authorization nor funds to work on the dike.

Wahkiakum County owns the road on the dike, and county officials are approaching state and federal officials to seek funding to protect the dike.

Yesterday (Wednesday), commissioners entertained District 19 State Senator Brian Hatfield and Representatives Dean Takko and Brian Blake to discuss the situation. Representatives of US Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler and possibly Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell were expected to attend.

Commissioners and citizens discussing the situation on Tuesday at the board of commissioners' meeting expressed concern about the effects that might come from a breach of the dike.

The deer refuge would become subject to tidal flooding, which could become severe in times of flooding and threaten SR 4.

Commissioner Lisa Marsyla has been spearheading the effort. At a recent meeting, she said, Corps officials made it clear they have no ability to help on the issue.

Furthermore, she said, because the dike isn't in the Corps maintenance program, the Corps would only become active if the dike failed and flooding threatened human life or property.

Marsyla commented that she had believed the Corps would step in if the dike started to fail, but now she understands that won't happen.

"They will not be here for that," she said.

And that is the reason for meeting with state officials, she said.

"They could help if there was a need to protect SR4," she said. "So far, we have been unsuccessful in working with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). They don't seem to want to be at the table.

"Otherwise, if that dike goes, it will be up to the county to do what ever needs to be done."

Marsyla reported that refuge officials are starting to plan their response to a possible breach.

"They need alternative plans to take care of those deer," she commented.

Another possibility, she said, is to work with salmon restoration agencies. A portion of the refuge near the potential breach would be dedicated to wetlands and salmon habitat restoration projects in exchange for funding to build a new dike well back from the shoreline.

Commissioner Blair Brady commented that he feels ship traffic causes the erosion, and therefore, the Corps bears some responsibility for dealing with the erosion. However, there's no way to force the agency into action.

"Unless they get funding from Congress, they can't fix it," he said. "Litigation would take years, and we couldn't pay for it."

Citizens offered comments and suggestions.

Skamokawa resident Mike Linn suggested that the way the Corps manages the shipping channel has contributed to the erosion. "I don't see why the county should accept that decision (that the Corps won't help)," he said.

Grays River resident Alton George suggested federal officials running for election this year (Senator Cantwell and Rep. Herrera Beutler) might be encouraged to find the funding.

Marsyla responded that all the federal representatives have been participating in the discussions. They are, however, now prohibited from writing bills with funding for specific projects, so-called earmarks.