Corps, county present plan for Island sand

Wahkiakum County and the US Army Corps of Engineers plan to team up with Puget Island residents to sponsor and finance placement of dredged sand on eroding shoreline.

The erosion is a recurring problem, and over the years county government has taken the lead in sponsoring projects with the Corps to replace the eroded sand.

The county can't continue to keep sponsoring the project on its own, commission Chair Dan Cothren told a group of Island residents invited to meet Tuesday with Corps and county officials. The county's Flood Control Fund has around $97,000, he said, and getting a project going could cost half that amount.

"That wouldn't leave much for another project if we needed one somewhere else," he said.

Affected property owners need to come together in a public entity that has revenue generating authority to help sponsor the projects, Cothren said.

"We need to have some kind of assessment," Cothren said. "Let's do something now and be ready for next year."

The affected Island home owners seemed to accept the concept.

"I would rather pay more in taxes in order to have a home there," said Liz Watson.

The group discussed options and agreed to look into reviving the Puget Island Flood Control Zone District.

Assessor Bill Coons said a district incorporating the Pancake Point areas outside the East Sunny Sand Road Dike would raise around $40,000 a year with an assessment of $4 per $1,000 of assessed value, which is the assessment which the Puget Island Consolidated Diking District collects inside the dikes.

County Pubic Works Director Pete Ringen commented that the basic engineering study for deposting dredged sand on Pancake Point is estimated at $43,400.

Corps representatives Michael Ott, operations manager for channels and harbors, and Jessica Stokke, project manager for the Columbia and lower Willamette rivers, described the process needed for the Corps to undertake a local project.

All work must fit into the Corps's mission, which is to maintain navigation on the river. Projects can be mandated by Congress, Ott said, or a local sponsor can work with the Corps to accomplish a project.

"This will be a partnership together," Ott said. "Our challenges will become our partner's challenges."

The sponsor is responsible for obtaining easements from landowners so the dredging contractor can work on the shoreline; the sponsor is responsible for obtaining permits needed for the work, and the sponsor is responsible for incremental costs not covered by the Corps.

Projects also depend on the need for dredging, Ott said. Recent surveys showed sufficient sand in the three areas experiencing erosion, he said. Projects must also meet environment standards.

Project areas must also be sufficient size to take a large amount of sand, Ott said.

Cothren commented that one landowner didn't provide an easement during the last project, and that limited the scope.

"Myself, I don't think we can do that again," Cothren said, "so you're all going to have to buy into this. I'm not going to stand for one person saying they're not going to do it."