(This story has been updated to include a follow-up statement from an outside source)
Port Angeles, WA – The Port Angeles Parks & Recreation Department announced Friday it is preparing for the winter season by temporarily removing one string of floating docks at the Ediz Hook Boat Launch. This action follows the removal of a natural seawall barrier which previously protected the docks from winter storms.
In January, mitigation work took place to accommodate the Navy Facilities Engineering Systems Command pier and dock. As part of the work, which was required by State and Federal agencies, a large chunk of land was removed that had always acted as a natural barrier, protecting the Boat Launch floats from waves and wind.
The news release said the City is actively assessing short and long-term solutions to address the issue and protect the facility. Unfortunately, dock replacement has become an added challenge. Plans to replace damaged portions of the floating dock were interrupted after discovering the manufacturer no longer supports their existing inventory, and City officials can’t, in good conscience, pursue the purchase of entirely new docks until a solution to protect them has been worked out.
The floating docks being removed will be stored and deployed as needed. They will serve as a replacement for the string left installed this winter, should it become damaged.
The following is a counterpoint to the City’s use of the term “natural seawall barrier” in their Friday news release. This statement was submitted to us by Matt Beirne, Natural Resources Director for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
I’m writing to request a correction to the Friday story in Myclallamcounty.com about the Ediz Hook boat launch. There never was a “natural seawall barrier” beside the launch. This was an artificial fill feature that was built in the 1920s. The structure was a barrier to natural shoreline processes like salmon and forage fish migration, eelgrass habitat, and sediment transport. The structure, which included construction debris, was also collapsing into the harbor due to disrepair. It was removed as a mitigation project for the construction of the Navy’s Transit Protection System pier that was installed in 2017. It was supposed to be removed around that time, but first required that the site be vacated by Cooke Aquaculture.