Edgewater Beach Bulkhead Removal

Efforts

Efforts describe the goal-oriented activites of workgroups

• Knowledge Creation
  • Adaptive Management
  • Arts and Crafts
  • Lessons
  • Monitoring
  • Research
• Protection
  • Acquisition
  • Green Infrastructure
  • Regulation
• Restoration
  • Beach Nourishment
  • Engineered Log Jams
  • Fish Passage
  • Revegetation
• Social Change
  • Advocacy
  • Coordination
  • Education
  • Funding
  • Integrated Ecosystem Management
  • Legislation
  • Planning

Effort References

• RCO's PRISM Project Search
• Salmon Recovery Portal
• Ecology's Administration of Grants and Loans
• USACE Regulatory In-lieu Fee and Bank information Tracking System

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This effort involved restoring nearshore processes and habitat through the removal of 791 feet of armoring from the base of an historic feeder bluff near Edgewater Beach, Olympia, WA, and an associated monitoring project that looked at changes in diverse ecological and geomorphological parameters both before and after restoration. The monitoring “learning project” involved multiple teams with diverse expertise all working at one set of sites to examine restoration effectiveness on ecological parameters. The monitoring effort addressed two areas of uncertainty about the effects of restoration: 1) The kinds of changes seen at areas physically further away from a restoration effort and, 2) The time course of restoration for both physical changes and ecological functions. The South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group led the initial restoration plan and armor removal project and coordinated the learning project and monitoring. A collaborative team of scientists conducted the monitoring co-led by the University of Washington, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington Department of Ecology, and others.

• Habitat Work Schedule
• PRISM web snapshot
• PRISM web link to ESRP monitoring project
• Final report File:Dethier et al 2020 Edgewater beach restoration monitoring report.pdf
• Link to webinar on 11/18/2020

Objectives

The nearshore restoration project addressed the root causes of degradation at the project site (direct burial) and within the drift cell (feeder bluff input). The project site is near the up-drift end of the drift cell and is assumed to affect the underlying geology and habitat formation for the entire drift cell. By removing the bulkhead and armoring, the sediment supply from the feeder bluff is now able to enter the system unhindered. ESRP funded the monitoring and 5 years of monitoring. This project is intended to benefit target salmonid species such as Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, Chum Salmon, and Cutthroat Trout, as well as other marine taxa.

• Remove 791 feet of shoreline armor
• Restore feeder bluff and natural sediment processes to feed the drift cell
• Restore beach habitat at the project site
• Conduct pre and post restoration monitoring
• Provide a regional demonstration of the effectiveness of armor removal projects in South Sound

Monitoring

The effects of this restoration effort are being evaluated by monitoring the site of removal in addition to the unaltered updrift (armored) and down drift (reference/unarmored) sites. Two years of pre-restoration sampling (2014 and 2016) were conducted before armor removal; three years of post-restoration sampling (2017-2019) were conducted following armor removal. Transects set up at each of the 3 sites were used to assess:

• Amount and type of wrack
• Organisms in the wrack and riparian zone
• Epibiota and infauna at Mean Low Water (MLW)
• Sediment grain sizes and beach profile
• Beach topography

In addition, this project site has become a magnet for learning opportunities for other organizations, so that data are also being gathered on:

• Forage fish spawning use (WDFW)
• Use of the beaches by fishes and crabs during high tide (NOAA)
• Beach and bluff topography (WA Dept. of Ecology)
• Survival of eelgrass transplants (WA DNR)

The full study and conclusions of the project are summarized in a final report File:Dethier et al 2020 Edgewater beach restoration monitoring report.pdf

Notes

• PRISM Contract
• The project received a single mixed award of state salmon, NOAA PCSRF, and State ESRP funds, from the RCO.
• The project is proposed as a case study for the Bulkhead Removal Feasibility for Localized Restoration effort.
• Link to the Department of Ecology's Coastal Mapping and Analysis Program boat-based LiDAR study of the site

particles of clay, silt, sand, gravel, or cobble, transported by water, are called sediment.