Tired old engineered “solutions”

The typical engineered responses of the last century won’t see us through the future challenges of sea level rise in downtown Olympia. They are, in fact, already compounding the problem.

The impacts of sea level rise on Olympia’s shorelines are real and already evident during king tides in the winter. Compounding these extreme high tides are storm surges roiling down the Deschutes River and its tributaries Moxlie Creek, Percival Creek and others. Flooding downtown is inevitable during these times. Without action, the South Salish Sea is eventually going to reclaim its estuary as marine waters not only flow over the surface of the land, but rise through the ground soaking the floors of local businesses.

Olympia’s Fifth Avenue dam at the mouth of the Deschutes River holds back water that is desperately trying to escape. If the estuary was restored, capacity for sea level rise would improve and relieve the pressure building up that contributes to flooding.

Salmon struggle as they attempt to return to their places of birth — even swimming up the pipe containing Moxlie Creek at East Bay to Watershed Park. Any hope to restore the Moxlie Creek estuary will be permanently dashed with yet another development being allowed on the Olympia shoreline despite the sea level rise predictions.

When will we stop acting in direct defiance of a healthy South Sound? When will we face reality and work to provide a productive, healthy environment for future generations?

This story was originally published October 19, 2017 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Tired old engineered “solutions”."