New plan would ease flooding on Highway 101

SEASIDE, Ore. — In Seaside, it’s as predictable as the winter gray: The rains come, high tides roll in and sure enough U.S. 101 floods, four times already this year. Sometimes, traffic is only restricted. Other times, the road must be closed completely.

And sure enough, there’s always that one driver who thinks he can make it through — and fails, prompting a rescue from the ODOT crews.

But this winter may be the last drivers will need to time their journeys around the Necanicum River by Beerman Creek, just south of town. After years of teamwork between a nonprofit organization and a handful of local and state government agencies, they’ve come up with a solution that has everyone grinning.

“It seems to me like it’s a win, win, win, win, win and just keeping adding the wins behind it,” said Ed Wegner, Clatsop County Public Works director. “It will help Seaside, it will help ODOT, it will help anyone who uses the road. Tourism. Emergency services. If you lived in Cannon Beach and there was flooding you couldn’t get through to the nearest hospital. You’d have to go to Tillamook. You name it, there is a win for it.”

Including the environment. Long before anyone was thinking about protecting salmon, rare forest ecosystems or wildlife habitat, farmers cleared trees from about 120 acres bordering the Necanicum River to be used as pastureland for dairy cows. Then, in the 1960s, developers sought to build in the flood plain.

And in order to keep the river off the development, they built a levee. The development never happened, but now the river was sandwiched between the highway and the levee, and the flooding began in earnest.

Forty-odd years later, in 2003, the nonprofit North Coast Land Conservancy purchased 364 acres — including the previously cleared land — with an eye toward protecting rare Sitka spruce wetlands, salmon and wildlife habitat.

“But we also knew the levee was there and it was having a negative impact on the ecosystem,” said Executive Director Katie Voelke. “We knew that there would be a benefit to the ecology if we were to remove the levee, but we didn’t know if it was feasible.”

When they reached out to the local communities, there was interest, but the trouble was, everyone seemed to think it was someone else’s responsibility, said Voelke. But after five years of talking, Clatsop County, ODOT, the cities of Astoria, Cannon Beach, Warrenton, Gearhart, Seaside and the Port of Astoria all came together. They pooled their money and commissioned a study to figure out the best way to handle the water.

And, as suspected, NCLC had been right.

Removing the levee was relatively inexpensive — especially compared to the alternative of raising the road, which came in at a cost of more than $10 million. But it still came with a price tag of more than $1 million. And the ODOT couldn’t use highway funds to help because the levee wasn’t on an ODOT right of way.

So they figured their only choice was to wait a few years until they could raise the money. Then Voelke got a call that seemed almost too good to be true.

Because ODOT’s road projects often impact waterways and wetlands, the state agency is required by law to enhance wetlands in other areas to mitigate their impact. ODOT was looking for a big chunk of land to do a wetlands project in order to earn wetlands credit.

“It’s like a bank that is storing wetlands instead of money,” said Voelke. “ODOT knew if they rehabbed 100 acres, that’s what they needed to be able to do all road maintenance they need to do in terms of wetlands impact over the next 20 years. The trick was finding a landowner willing to create 100 acres of wetlands.”

And then came that stroke of serendipity that left everyone scratching their heads – in the best possible way.

“A guy from ODOT called me one day,” Voelke said. “He said, `Any chance you guys are looking to do a big wetlands project that we could do instead and fund it?”’

Work on the project is already under way, with plans for removing the dirt levee set for the first sign of dry weather.

“One of the benefits that is great for people and the habitat is that by opening up the wetlands, we are going to make this a 100-plus acre water storage area,” she said. “Instead of just letting these winter surges of water flush back in to the ocean, it will store the water so the stuff can seep instead.

“It restores ground water, soaks the wetlands areas that support wildlife,” she said. “These wetlands are essentially connected to the stream, so you have the stream channel and wetlands side channels. Those are really great juvenile rearing habitat for salmon. It is very cool.”

From a motorist perspective, as well.

“The people in Cannon Beach are going to be particularly happy,” said ODOT spokesman Lou Torres. “Many people in Cannon Beach work in Seaside and they really needed to pay attention to what was happening as far as flooding. You didn’t want to be on the wrong side. How are you going to go shopping, get to work? We’re going to be happy we can finally shut off the water faucet there.”

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Lynnwood police respond to a collision on highway 99 at 176 street SW. (Photo provided by Lynnwood Police)
Southbound lanes on Highway 99 reopen after crash

The crash, on Highway 99 at 176th Street SW, blocked traffic for over an hour. Traffic was diverted to 168th Street SW.

The view of Mountain Loop Mine out the window of a second floor classroom at Fairmount Elementary on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County: Everett mining yard violated order to halt work next to school

At least 10 reports accused OMA Construction of violating a stop-work order next to Fairmount Elementary. A judge will hear the case.

Imagine Children's Museum's incoming CEO, Elizabeth "Elee" Wood. (Photo provided by Imagine Children's Museum)
Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett to welcome new CEO

Nancy Johnson, who has led Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett for 25 years, will retire in June.

Kelli Littlejohn, who was 11 when her older sister Melissa Lee was murdered, speaks to a group of investigators and deputies to thank them for bringing closure to her family after over 30 years on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘She can rest in peace’: Jury convicts Bothell man in 1993 killing

Even after police arrested Alan Dean in 2020, it was unclear if he would stand trial. He was convicted Thursday in the murder of Melissa Lee, 15.

Ariel Garcia, 4, was last seen Wednesday morning in an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Dr. (Photo provided by Everett Police)
Search underway to find missing Everett child, 4

Ariel Garcia was last seen Wednesday morning at an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Drive.

The rezoned property, seen here from the Hillside Vista luxury development, is surrounded on two sides by modern neighborhoods Monday, March 25, 2024, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Despite petition, Lake Stevens OKs rezone for new 96-home development

The change faced resistance from some residents, who worried about the effects of more density in the neighborhood.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, left, introduces Xichitl Torres Small, center, Undersecretary for Rural Development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a talk at Thomas Family Farms on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Under new federal program, Washingtonians can file taxes for free

At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene called the Direct File program safe, easy and secure.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.