Land owners concerned over vague language in dredging easements

Efforts to obtain right of entry easements from flood control zone district (FCZD) land owners are moving slowly, Commissioner Dan Cothren said Tuesday at the meeting of the board of commissioners.

Many Puget Island land owners are concerned about language in the easements that could possibly grant dredging crews unrestricted access to their entire parcels, Cothren said.

"I've been getting a lot of calls," he said. "There's some big concern on the right-of-entries on how far they will come in with big machines and if they might do things like take out trees.

"We're trying to get this cleared up."

Cothren said he hadn't had a response from US Army Corps of Engineers, with whom the county is working to bring dredged sand to eroding beaches on Puget Island and Cape Horn, so he has asked staff of congressional representatives to intervene.

"There are a few people who aren't going to sign up till they know how far they (dredging crews) will come in," Cothren said. "This needs to be cleared up."

East Sunny Sands resident J.B. Robinson commented that during previous dredging projects, the crews had started at the edge of the bank, worked toward the river, and didn't come into his yard.

"When they came the last time, they were very careful," Robinson said.

"That's what I would expect," Cothren said.

Cape Horn resident Trish Shroyer asked if a slow rate of response for right-of-entry easements in one FCZD would affect possible operations in another FCZD, which might have all necessary easements.

"I don't see that," Cothren said.

Cape Horn residents have banded together to get their easements in, but there are still a couple problem areas, Cothren said. One involves a ravine that drains water onto the beach, and the concern is how to handle that drainage.