PORT ANGELES — One string of floating docks on Ediz Hook was removed for the winter last week to protect them.
A natural seawall barrier, which previously protected the docks from winter storms, has been eliminated, city personnel said in a press release.
Also the manufacturer has stopped making the parts, which would leave the city unable to repair docks damaged by storms, said Port Angeles Parks and Recreation Superintendent Tim Tucker.
“We are in the process of getting a grant to replace the docks,” Tucker said. “We are replacing one or two every year as part of regular maintenance and keeping them in good shape.”
The docks will be stored and deployed as needed to ensure uninterrupted access to the boat launch facility, according to the release. They will serve as a replacement for the those remaining if they are damaged this winter, it stated.
“For right now, it’s seasonal just because we tried keeping docks longer over at the pier and the easterly winds sank most of them. So we had no floats at the pier for two years,” Tucker said.
The big issue is that the U.S. Navy removed 80 to 90 feet of land and a seawall in January 2023 as part of required mitigation for its Navy Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) pier and dock, he said.
The land protected the boat docks from storms, particularly the strong easterlies that occur during the winter, Tucker said.
“All the driftwood floated in and lodged under the docks after high tide and snapped one. There was no protection from wind and waves,” he said.
Tucker said the city is in the process of replacing all the docks because the manufacturer no longer is making the parts. Replacing the unprotected boat launch will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, he said.
“We pulled them because we don’t have an immediate answer for a seawall,” he added. “It’s a federal and state issue. We are in conversations with the port, the Coast Guard and the Elwha.
“It’s a community-wide discussion to get this in front of the state and our legislators so they realize we need to protect our boat launch,” Tucker said.
“We need to do everything we can to utilize our resources to allow something to happen out there. It’s not a real wonderful situation.”
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at brian.gawley@peninsuladailynews.com.
