Lower Elwha Klallam tribe plans to restore beach on Ediz Hook
Published 12:01 am Monday, August 31, 2015
PORT ANGELES — A restored beach of sand and dune grass will replace rip rap and concrete rubble on the south side of Ediz Hook this fall.
The Lower Elwha Klallam tribe plans to re-establish original habitat to two-thirds of a mile of shoreline east of the old A-frame site.
The remains of the A-frame log dock vanished in 2008, and the tribe restored the nearby beach in 2011.
Once, Ediz Hook was fed by sediment flowing from the Elwha River and falling from the bluffs west of the spit.
When these sources were cut off by the damming of the river and construction of an industrial water pipeline, the sand spit began to erode.
In the 1950s, the Army Corps of Engineers hardened its north side with massive rocks and, later, its south side.
Erosion continues, however, and the tribe plans to replace the existing, failing berm with sand stabilized by native dune grass.
It also will add 20,000 cubic yards of sand and gravel for a new beach.
Driving and parking on the restored area will be restricted while vegetation recovers.
“The traditional response to beach erosion has been hard armoring, but now we’re using a more natural way,’ said Mike McHenry, the tribe’s habitat program manager.
A low-sloping beach from a recreated berm will create a two-mile-long sandy shore, and foster improved habitat for salmon to feed and rest on their migrations to and from Puget Sound, he said.
It also will shelter forage fish on which the salmon feed.
“Overall, I think people will embrace the project,” McHenry said.
“People are naturally flocking to these restored areas, so here’s a lot of human contact — runners, bikers, bird watchers, beachcombers, kayakers — and we want to make this place safe for everyone, including salmon.”
The tribe’s partners in the project include the state Department of Natural Resources with funds from the state Salmon Recovery Funding Board and the city of Port Angeles. Herrera Environmental of Seattle designed the project.
