By JEFF BURLINGAME, The Aberdeen Daily World September 17, 1998
Will the southern end of Ocean Shores - home to expensive real estate and municipal infrastructure - flood this winter?
That's the question city officials say will be answered Friday when the State Parks & Recreation Commission meets in Vancouver to vote on two erosion-control issues they call crucial.
The city is asking the commission to extend a permit for protective rock "wave bumpers" until May, and for permission to embed 540-feet of geotubes - huge sausage-shaped bags filled with sand - in a dune in the southern end of town.
A breach in the dunes north of the North Jetty - which many fear will come as early as this winter - would cause "serious impacts to the city's sewage treatment facility and other infrastructure," according to consultants.
City officials are more direct, saying a breach most likely would flood the entire southern end of the resort community - a multi-million dollar disaster. "With these proposals, we're just trying to make it through the winter," City Manager Jack McKenzie says.
With Parks & Recreation staff recommending that the proposals be approved, Friday's meeting could be a formality. But the city manager isn't counting his chickens, and is calling on the community to help.
"We want to see a good turnout at this meeting," McKenzie said. "We're looking for all of the volunteers we can get and we welcome the participation of everyone.
"We need to show (the Commission) how concerned the community is about this."
The Parks Commission, which has authority over the eroding area because part of it falls within the state's Seashore Conservation Area, has three options: reject both of Ocean Shores' requests; approve just one or approve both, with or without any additional stipulations.
"We're requesting that (the Commission) agree to the two proposals," said William Jolly, manager of the environmental program for State Parks & Recreation. "But this is still likely to be heavily discussed."
City officials will open the meeting by outlining their concerns. Opponents are also likely to present their arguments.
"We have sent a letter to the commission addressing our concerns," said Rick Poulin, an attorney for the Seattle law firm of Smith & Lowney, which has protested the placement of the wave bumpers and geotubes in the past.
Poulin said this morning that his firm, which represents several environmental groups, feels it would be "irresponsible" for the commission to approve the proposals at this time.
Specifically, Poulin says he wants the commission to guarantee that the structures will be removed from the beach "no matter what."
Even if the commission approves both items, the city still won't be out of hot water. Both erosion-control measures will be in place for only one storm season, just buying time for the city to search for a long-term solution to the erosion problem.
Until last month, the city had been preparing an Environmental Impact Statement for that long-term solution.
But funding for the $1.56 million impact statement has run out, and, except for a few small tasks, the process has come to a halt while the city works with state legislators to secure emergency funding.
Originally scheduled to begin in 1999, construction on the yet undetermined long-term solution - which could include anything from doing nothing to building a solid rock revetment - will not begin now until at least 2000.
The city's current permit for the wave bumpers ends Oct. 16.
Friday's meeting begins at 9 a.m. at The Heathman Lodge, 7801 Greenwood Drive in Vancouver.