Wahkiakum County Shoreline Master Program: comprehensive update

The comment period for Wahkiakum County’s comprehensive update is now closed.

We held a public comment period on Wahkiakum County’s proposed comprehensive update to their Shoreline Master Program (SMP). The period for public comment was from Jan. 23 to Feb. 23, 2023. We sent mail and email notices to notify those who had expressed prior interest. Eight (8) written comments were received. Comments are focused on archaeological and historic resources, buffers, climate impacts / sea-level rise, floodplain development, freshwater docks, no net loss, private-property rights, public access, restoration, shoreline ecological functions.

Response to public comment

We have prepared a summary of public comments and sent this to Wahkiakum County on March 10, 2023. The County prepared their response to public comment. and provided to us on April 5, 2023.


Next steps: our decision

The Wahkiakum County proposed SMP will be compared to the requirements of the Shoreline Management Act and the Shoreline Master Program Guidelines. Based on the comparison, we will decide whether to:

  • Approve the program as is.
  • Approve with recommended changes.
  • Send the proposed program back to the County with required changes to meet statutory and rule requirements. Recommended changes may also be included with the required changes.

Documents for public review and comment

All documents are in PDF format.

Paper copies can be made available for review upon request.

Next steps: Response to public comment and decision

A summary of comments will be posted here a few weeks after the comment period closes. We will also post the county’s response to comments and a notice of our decision when they become available. Please check back.