Island County officials exploring ways to restore or construct boat ramps on South Whidbey have come up with a possible solution, but it won’t be cheap.
Construction of an elevated boat ramp at Robinson Beach in Freeland will solve the ongoing issue with shifting sands that has closed the boat ramp for the last four years. A consultant estimated that the project will cost $3.44 million.
The problem with the lack of public boat ramps to access the water came into sharp relief last September by the catastrophic seaplane crash in Mutiny Bay that killed all 10 people aboard. A rescue boat had to launch miles north because the build-up of sand made the Mutiny Bay boat launch at Robinson Beach inaccessible.
Commissioner Melanie Bacon spoke about the tragedy during a meeting on the boat ramps last week.
“What if there was rescue potential, but we had no ability to do it?” she asked.
County officials were already well aware of the issue and had signed a $29,000 contract with Coastal Geologic Services last year to find the best way to open more boat ramps on the southwestern area of Whidbey and on northern Camano Island, where there is the least water access for boats.
In fact, two of the three boats ramps in southwest Whidbey are closed because of “littoral drift.” In addition to Robinson Beach, the Maxwelton boat ramp has been closed since 2007 and is now covered by a deep layer of sand. The closest functioning boat ramps are at Bush Point and Possession Beach.
James Sylvester, a civil engineer for the county, presented the findings of the Coastal Geologic Services study to county commissioners. The consultant conducted a visual screening of potential sites for new boat ramps based on a variety of factors, including steepness, beach stability, public accessibility and parcel ownership.
A total of seven potential sites on Whidbey were identified for further study. It was determined, however, that they all had “low added value” since they were within five miles of existing public boat launches, Sylvester explained.
Engineers then evaluated different ways to mitigate the sand-clogging problems at the existing boat ramps. Sylvester said the recommendation is to build an elevated boat ramp at Robinson Beach, which has very long, low tide flats.
Sylvester said the study, however, determined that neither an elevated boat ramp nor a rubber mat would be feasible at Maxwelton.
Commissioners have discussed building elevated boat ramps in previous years but had decided the cost was prohibitive. This time around, however, the commissioners might be moving forward. Commissioner Melanie Bacon suggested that the county could partner with the Port of South Whidbey to build an elevated ramp at Robinson Beach.
Grant funding might be difficult to find for such a project, but county staff members said they would continue to explore options. The commissioners asked the staff to explore the issues and bring back the project for further discussion.
