Shoreline natural hazards management

We provide tailored planning assistance and guidance to support locally relevant policy and regulatory decisions. 

• The Washington Coastal Resilience Project is a three-year multi-agency and organization effort to rapidly increase the state’s capacity to prepare for natural events that threaten the coast. The project will improve risk projections, provide better guidance for land use planners and strengthen capital investment programs for coastal restoration and infrastructure. These are the tools that coastal communities need to become more resilient to disasters. Through a smart combination of activities — investing in new science, coordinating existing programs and applying and sharing what is learned from three community models -- our state can efficiently expand its capacity to “weather” future coastal hazards.

• ​We partner with the Federal Agency Management Agency (FEMA) to run the Risk Mapping, Assessment and Planning (Risk MAP) program in Washington. This program delivers high-quality data, risk assessment tools and mitigation expertise to communities, tribes, and State and local agencies in their efforts to reduce the risks from natural hazards including floods, earthquakes, wildfire and landslides.

• We co-convene a bi-state effort with Oregon on policy, projects, and research related to dredge material disposal and sediment management in the Lower Columbia River and its littoral cell. The Lower Columbia Solutions Group focuses on finding sustainable solutions to policy issues, research, operations and conflicts. Sustainable solutions integrate economic, social and environmental objectives.

We conduct scientific research and analysis to help communities understand and evaluate risks, and offer hands-on technical assistance to design solutions that achieve multiple benefits.

• In January 2016, an alliance of local, tribal, state and federal partners formed the Grays Harbor Resilience Coalition (GHRC) to address both immediate and future natural hazards through collaborative research, planning, and investment in capital projects. The effort was spearheaded by Ocean Shores Mayor Crystal Dingler, with the support of Ecology and U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer. This strong alliance created the potential for catalyzing meaningful action. Formed to help strengthen requests for assistance in Grays Harbor County by establishing a unified voice among several partners, the collation set the groundwork so separate jurisdictions could work together to establish county-wide priorities and support one another in legislative requests.

• Willapa Erosion Control Alliance Now (WECAN) is an ongoing community initiative to protect the northern shores of Willapa Bay in Pacific County, Washington. The erosion along nearly six miles of these shores has been so significant and ever-increasing that the area has earned its infamous moniker of “Washaway Beach.” The initiative is a collaborative alliance of community organizations and local, tribal, state and federal partners. Our support of this effort included technical support from our Coastal Monitoring & Analysis Program which helped complete an Assessment of Coastal Erosion and Future Projections for North Cove, Pacific County.

• Given the shared issues and interest among multiple coastal communities to work together on a more durable approach to hazards resilience, we contracted the William D. Ruckelshaus Center to explore opportunities for long-term resilience. The Ruckelshaus Center’s Washington State Coastal Resilience Assessment conducted 104 interviews with coastal tribes, coastal residents, elected officials, federal, tribal, state, county, and city government agency staff, researchers, scientists, engineers, NGOs, and other interested parties. This assessment examines the dynamics, interests, challenges, and opportunities related to coastal resilience in Washington State and provides a mechanism for the experiences and viewpoints of the participants to inform the next generation of strategies for enhancing coast-wide resilience.

We work across agencies and levels of government to provide the coordination and leverage the resources needed to take action. 

• We manage the Washington Coastal Hazards Resilience Network in partnership with Washington Sea Grant. This community of practice is dedicated to improving regional coordination and collaboration to address coastal hazards.
   

We work in partnership to offer grant programs and technical support that enable communities and the environment to thrive together in new and unexpected ways. 

• Together with the The Nature Conservancy and the Puget Sound Partnership, we are re-thinking our approach to floodplain management. At the heart of the Floodplains by Design approach is the simple idea that complex problems – like managing floodplains in the face of climate change – are solved by working together. We coordinate state and federal investments with locally driven solutions, and we believe each river reach has its own best solutions designed by the people whose lives and livelihoods are connected to the floodplain.

We develop training to build skills and best practices for community organizations, local governments, and a variety of resource managers. 

• In partnership with the Padilla Bay Reserve, Washington Sea Grant, NOAA's Office for Coastal Management, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, and TNC we have created Washington's Climate Adaptation Series. This sequence of courses was designed to assist planners and coastal managers in taking steps to address existing and future impacts of shoreline change in Washington.