Washington Coastal Resiliency Funding

Washington faces severe and costly damage to life and property from climate change. For coastal populations, there is an increased risk from worsening coastal hazards, such as flooding, erosion, and sea level rise. At Governor Inslee’s request, the Washington Coastal Marine Advisory Council (WCMAC) developed a set of coastal resilience recommendations in 2021 to help state agencies and coastal communities address the challenging issues of the present and shape a prosperous future. This budget package will provide the staff capacity needed for the  Dept. of Ecology to implement three priority recommendations: (1) expand data analysis to assess site scale vulnerabilities within coastal communities, (2) deliver coordinated state level technical assistance, and (3) increase local capacity to design and implement effective on the ground projects.

We are already facing impacts from sea level rise and climate change. Washington State is particularly vulnerable to sea level rise - over 68% of Washingtonians (4.6 million people) live along or near the state’s 3,026 miles of coastline. This is why we at Surfrider continue to prioritize actions that address these threats. We can’t afford not to. Research shows that for every dollar invested in resilience planning saves us between $4-$11 in costs down the road. 

In Washington, we used our seat as the ocean recreation rep on WCMAC to lead efforts in building consensus and prioritization of planning for sea level rise and increasing storm severity, including updates to the Shoreline Management Act and supporting coastal hazards funding. The funding that was secured this session is critical to help communities develop sea level rise plans and coast-specific rules. Changing sea levels can erode land away or add land through accretion. This will change the face of our coastlines and how we manage development or mitigation strategies.

This funding will steer resources to projects that prioritize areas already being impacted by climate. While this work is first focused on the outer coast, it will expand to include the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound. It will allow for a statewide Comprehensive sea level rise study that will provide more accurate information and predictions. It will also facilitate a partnership with Washington Sea Grant through the Resilience Action Demonstration Project (RAD) to identify and support the most vulnerable areas on our coast by creating a COASTAL hazards project viewer. This work will result in a list of priority projects that communities have identified and help funnel resources towards those projects.