North Cove/Tokeland erosion solutions up for discussion

By by natalie st. john Chinook Observer • April 12, 2019 1:30 pm
COURTESY WASH AWAY NO MORE Efforts to preserve the shoreline in the North Cove area will be discussed at a meeting Wednesday at the Shoalwater Bay community center. Here a stretch protected by dynamic revetment stands up to the high tide and winds of April 6.
COURTESY WASH AWAY NO MORE Efforts to preserve the shoreline in the North Cove area will be discussed at a meeting Wednesday at the Shoalwater Bay community center. Here a stretch protected by dynamic revetment stands up to the high tide and winds of April 6.

By Natalie St. John

Chinook Observer

TOKELAND — On Wednesday, at the Shoalwater Community Center in Tokeland from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. there will be a public meeting to share comprehensive recommendations for long-term erosion controls along the North Cove/Tokeland shoreline of Willapa Bay. Part of the area is known as Washaway Beach in recognition of decades of serious shoreline losses.

The plan has been developed over the past year by a team of geotech engineers, state and federal agency representatives and community members. It was funded via a 2017 state Legislative Community Project sponsored by Rep. Brian Blake, D-Aberdeen.

The team will present preferred alternatives as a demonstration of how the shoreline can be maintained without adverse impact to the environment and within state and federal regulatory requirements.

Included will be a relatively short presentation on the project background and the recommended alternative (dynamic revetment). It will highlight a number of table displays around which attendees can visit throughout the evening.

Display stations will include the Mott MacDonald-developed summary of the overall demonstration project, details of the preferred alternative, and how this demo project might tie into a master plan for the region. Other stations will provide an educational introduction to the dynamic revetment concept, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers initiatives in the area, Washington State Department of Transportation construction projects for State Route 105, Pacific Drainage District 1’s specific revetment project, Washington Department of Ecology’s recent research activities regarding rock and sand movements along the North Cove shoreline, as well as a request to the community for “citizen science” photo contributions.

For more information, call Kelly Rupp at 360-665-0115 or email kelly.rupp@leadtoresults.com.