QUILCENE — A growing sand bar at the entrance to Quilcene marina could be dredged if Port of Port Townsend commissioners commit to spending the money.
At a Port of Port Townsend commissioners meeting Wednesday afternoon in Quilcene, the commissioners listened to a brass-tacks explanation of what it would take to dredge the entrance to the marina on Quilcene Bay.
They made no decision, deferring the matter to September.
Port Deputy Executive Director Jim Pivarnik told commissioners that dredging some 4,000 cubic yards of sediment from the entrance of the marina would cost $170,000.
That would solve the problem for at least seven years, he added.
“Engineers can guarantee it will be fine for seven years,” Pivarnik said. “There is a chance, and we are hopeful, it could take care of it for up to 10 years.”
Regulations costly
Pivarnik said the cost of the dredging was high because of regulations determining where the sediment can be dumped.
“The closest location would be Protection Island,” he said. “The cost to take a barge from [Quilcene] to Protection Island would run around $20,000.”
Pivarnik said the project, although expensive, would not take much time.
“If we can get this done before Feb. 15, then it will only be a one-week job,” he said.
No dredging is allowed in the area between Feb. 15 and July 15.
Pivarink said the dredging could be completed during the open period, if the commissioners approve the project in the fall.
“Permitting should be completed in November, meaning we will have until that coming Feb. 15 to dredge,” Pivarnik said.
“But to get it done, we need to appropriate the money, have a bid out and a contractor on board.”
Commissioners asked staff members to continue planning the dredging operation and bring the topic back for discussion in September.
A buildup of sand and rock at the mouth of the marina grows larger every day.
The marina is accessible to boaters now only during certain times, depending upon tides.
JD Gallant, owner of the 40-foot vessel, The Sea Turtle — the largest boat in a rented slip in the marina — said he sees the problem every day.
Dangerous for large boats
“It’s dangerous for many of us who have larger boats in the marina,” Gallant told commissioners at the meeting.
“Also, this would help clean the harbor, and open up some very important commercial opportunities.”
Gallant said he can move his vessel in and out of the marina only during a four-hour window on any given day.
If he misses that window, he has to anchor the boat in the bay and ferry into the marina on a Zodiac dingy, he said.
The sand bar also keeps garbage and marine drift stuck inside the bay, Gallant said.
Commissioner Herb Beck said he viewed the question as an economic issue, and pointed out the importance of having a working marina.
“There are people who actually make a living by working out of that marina through shell fishing,” he said.
“This makes such operations difficult.
“I believe it’s important for the industrial and economic side of things to get the marina working again.”
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
