Office of Rep. Derek Kilmer announcement.
On Jan. 20, U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will invest over $18 million in three infrastructure projects in Washington’s sixth congressional district. The funding for the projects in Grays Harbor and Clallam Counties was secured through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), bipartisan legislation passed by Rep. Kilmer and signed into law by President Biden in November 2021.
The new investments include $10,945,000 to fully repair the North Jetty in Grays Harbor County, $5,535,000 to repair the sea dike to design parameters near the Quillayute River in Clallam County, and $1,543,000 for revetment repair at the Ediz Hook in Clallam County.
“For too long, too many infrastructure projects in our region have gone unfunded. The impacts of climate change – including sea level rise and flooding – have put communities at risk and disrupted local economies in our region. We’ve even seen substantial flooding in our region just recently,” said Rep. Kilmer. “That’s why I voted to pass the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act – which is providing critical new funding so the Army Corps of Engineers can finally fix some of the infrastructure challenges in our region. This will mean real progress for protecting coastal communities and keeping folks safe.”
“The Army will work with community partners to leverage these historic Civil Works funds for investments that strengthen national supply chains through our commercial navigation mission, help communities impacted by climate change to increase their resiliency, advance environmental justice, and invest in communities that have too often been left behind,” said Michael L. Connor, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works.
IIJA funding will restore the North Jetty in Ocean Shores to design parameters assuring a safe, reliable entrance to the Federal Grays Harbor navigation channel. According to the Army Corps of Engineers, the North Jetty was last repaired in 1976 and existing damage threatens further failure that could compromise the Federal navigation channel. Additionally, repairing the damaged jetty aims to help reduce current wave impacts to the City of Ocean Shores wastewater treatment plant.
IIJA funding will also restore the sea dike near the Quillayute River by replacing missing rock to return the failed sea dike to design dimensions. According to the Army Corps of Engineers, the neighboring navigation channel is extremely dangerous in certain sea conditions; exacerbated by the sea waves washing over the damaged dike. Repairing the sea dike to the authorized design aims to help reduce waves from sweeping across the channel and provide safer navigation to the US Coast Guard, Quileute Tribe, and the public.
Additionally, IIJA funding will repair up to approximately 500 feet of damaged revetment at Ediz Hook near Port Angeles. According to the Army Corps of Engineers, frequent winter storm attacks, combined with reduction of beach-feed material, can damage the narrow neck of the structure. In the past, the roadway has been damaged to such an extent that the US Coast Guard base and other facilities on Ediz Hook have been isolated until repairs could be made. The city of Port Angeles, US Coast Guard and industries located on Ediz Hook will all benefit from this repair action.
“The Quileute Tribe is grateful for Rep. Kilmer’s support and the Army Corp of Engineers investment in this project,” said Quileute Tribal Council Chairman Doug Woodruff. “The Sea Dike is critical to the protection of our lower village from ocean storms and swells, especially the marina and the mouth of the Quillayute River which are necessary for the continued livelihood of our tribal fishermen along with tribal homes, businesses, and administrative buildings. Mitigation, prevention, and preparedness efforts to protect ourselves in the face of climate change and increased hazards are needed now more than ever so this funding comes at a critical time.”
“We are pleased to learn that the Army Corp of Engineers has received funding for maintenance of Ediz Hook through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding. The safety and longevity of the Hook are critical to the both the Coast Guard and Puget Sound Pilots, as well as to many members of our community who enjoy walking the Hook, playing on the beach and launching their fishing boats,” said Port Angeles Mayor Kate Dexter. “The tsunami advisory on Saturday, January 15, was an important reminder of the vulnerability of Ediz Hook to extreme weather and the importance of this critical maintenance. Thank you again to Congressman Kilmer for his support of the infrastructure bill which is making projects like this possible.”
The Biden Administration announced this week that the Army Corps of Engineers will invest $14 billion in 500 projects across the nation that focus on strengthening critical supply chains. Due to decades of underinvestment, and accelerating climate threats, supply chains have struggled to keep pace with the strong economic recovery – burdening families and businesses with added costs and delay. These new investments will create jobs and economic opportunity, while strengthening key water infrastructure projects, improving resiliency to the climate crisis and restoring the environment.
The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law by President Biden on November 15, 2021.
More details on how the bipartisan infrastructure law will impact Washington state can be found at kilmer.house.gov/infrastructure.
