Presentation Abstract
Recovery efforts for Puget Sound have focused on improving shoreline function by reducing seawalls (e.g. rock and concrete bank protection) and encouraging alternatives, such as soft shore protection. Shoreline armor was one of the key stressors identified by the Puget Sound Partnership in 2010 to protect and restore habitat. Armor is one of the Puget Sound Vital Signs, those measures used by the Puget Sound Partnership to track ecosystem health. One of the targets associated with the Vital Sign, a net reduction of the total extent of armor between 2011 and 2020, is tracked using the Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) permitting database maintained by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Projects are categorized as new, replacement and removed armor. A summary of permit information indicates that generally, trend in new shoreline armor decreased from 2005 – 2016, while the pace of hard armor removal increased. Two additional targets identified by the Partnership, emphasizes the importance of keeping intact eroding bluffs (locally referred to as feeder bluffs) that maintain Puget Sound beaches, and encouraging the use of softer, nature-based approaches to erosion control. The HPA data, combined with recent detailed mapping of coastal landforms, provide an indication of progress towards the feeder bluff target. Soft shoreline techniques have long been of interest on Puget Sound, but have been slow to be widely adopted. These soft techniques are difficult to categorize, as many are hybrids, combining natural elements and beach nourishment with more conventional rock or concrete structural measures. New technical guidance, combined with increased regulatory emphasis and locally-based outreach efforts, have led to improvements in the implementation and the success of new methods of addressing erosion. We describe significant regulatory, educational, scientific, and restoration efforts focused on this issue in Puget Sound.
Session Title
Coordinating Regionally Accepted Nearshore Geospatial Data
Keywords
Shoreline armor, Vital Sign
Conference Track
SSE15: Data and Information Management
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE15-558
Start Date
6-4-2018 11:30 AM
End Date
6-4-2018 11:45 AM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Beach erosion--Monitoring--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Shore protection--Environmental aspects--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Bulkheads--Environmental aspects--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Sea-walls--Environmental aspects--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Coastal zone management--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Amourstone--Environmental aspects--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Environmental protection--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Geographic Coverage
Puget Sound (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Recent progress toward reducing seawalls in Puget Sound
Recovery efforts for Puget Sound have focused on improving shoreline function by reducing seawalls (e.g. rock and concrete bank protection) and encouraging alternatives, such as soft shore protection. Shoreline armor was one of the key stressors identified by the Puget Sound Partnership in 2010 to protect and restore habitat. Armor is one of the Puget Sound Vital Signs, those measures used by the Puget Sound Partnership to track ecosystem health. One of the targets associated with the Vital Sign, a net reduction of the total extent of armor between 2011 and 2020, is tracked using the Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) permitting database maintained by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Projects are categorized as new, replacement and removed armor. A summary of permit information indicates that generally, trend in new shoreline armor decreased from 2005 – 2016, while the pace of hard armor removal increased. Two additional targets identified by the Partnership, emphasizes the importance of keeping intact eroding bluffs (locally referred to as feeder bluffs) that maintain Puget Sound beaches, and encouraging the use of softer, nature-based approaches to erosion control. The HPA data, combined with recent detailed mapping of coastal landforms, provide an indication of progress towards the feeder bluff target. Soft shoreline techniques have long been of interest on Puget Sound, but have been slow to be widely adopted. These soft techniques are difficult to categorize, as many are hybrids, combining natural elements and beach nourishment with more conventional rock or concrete structural measures. New technical guidance, combined with increased regulatory emphasis and locally-based outreach efforts, have led to improvements in the implementation and the success of new methods of addressing erosion. We describe significant regulatory, educational, scientific, and restoration efforts focused on this issue in Puget Sound.
