Wet weather halts setback dike project

The wet weather of early fall has put a stop to construction of a setback dike on the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge.

Wahkiakum County Public Works Director Pete Ringen received word from the US Army Corps of Engineers late last week that the Corps was halting construction for the winter.

"The storm earlier this month was a serious setback for them," Ringen told the county board of commissioners on Tuesday. "It came with the wettest September on record."

Because of the rainfall, the contractor is unable to handle some material, and the contactor is unable to compact what has been placed on site. The contractor is still hauling some sand but will soon button down the project for the winter.

Ringen commented that the contractor had made good progress on parts of the dike at a 12.5 foot elevation.

Ringen also reported that the heavy hauling on Steamboat Slough Road had damaged the road surface.

The road has deteriorated a lot," he said. "We knew this would happen."

Ringen said the road crew will make some repairs so the road can be reopened to the public--it has been closed during construction. He will likely impose a reduced speed limit.

The contractor is about half way through the hauling, so full repairs won't be made until after the project is finished.

The dike is being built to protect the refuge and adjacent land from potential flooding. A dike along Steamboat Slough is eroding, and no agencies had funds to repair it. The Corps proposed using salmon enhancement funds to build the new dike set back from the shore line and turning the land between the new dike and the river into wetland habitat.