Erosion aid starting to be a race against time

 

Diana Zimmerman

Just below Jim and Marianne Bennett's home at Cape Horn, the land continues to give way. An old circular driveway is no longer safe to use because there is only about six feet of land, some of it crumbling, where the driveway curved on the grass. The grassy area used to stretch to 165 feet from the property line.

As Wahkiakum County moves slowly through the process to set up sites for placing dredged sands on eroding shorelines, some Cape Horn residents are starting to think they may have to take matters into their own hands.

The county has been working for a year with residents of Puget Island's East Sunny Sands and more recently the Cape Horn area east of Cathlamet to get dredged sand dumped on eroding beaches.

The county has hired a consulting engineering firm to handle the environmental studies and permit application to set up the disposal program.

Acting as liaison, Commissioner Dan Cothren has tried to have weekly communication with US Army Corps of Engineer's officials who will handle the program.

The county and residents have waited for months for the Corps to approve a memorandum of understanding and a form for residents to allow dredge crews the right to use their frontage property.

Some Cape Horn residents worry the pace is too slow. They've reported losing large chunks of frontage during the past winter and spring.

Randy and Trish Shroyer have said recent losses have move the shoreline very near their outbuilding.

Diana Zimmerman

Trish Shroyer stands near the edge where the land continues to crumble, drawing closer and closer to the homes nearby.

Nearby James and Marianne Bennett no longer us a portion of their driveway because the eroded bank is just a few feet away. They and their neighbors have started talking about installing riprap rock to protect the embankment. This would cost several thousand dollars and would also have to go through a permitting process.

Cothren said Tuesday that the Corps has reported progress. They've dedicated a staff member to working on the memorandum of understanding.

"We should be getting something shortly," Cothren said. "There's movement."

"It's a convoluted mess," commented Commissioner Blair Brady.

He added that he has asked the county prosecuting attorney to research what is needed to use the power of eminent domain to take control of property whose owners may not want to sign the right of entry permits.

"We're not going to allow anyone to stop us," Brady said. "We're hoping not to need that. We'll go that route if we need to."

 

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