County to Remove Old Bulkhead and
Restore Beach
US EPA Grant helps return Anna Smith Park shoreline to
more natural state

(Port Orchard) - On Monday August 27, 2012, a week-long construction project begins to remove a 650-foot long, dilapidated bulkhead on the shoreline of Anna Smith Children’s Park, near the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. Kitsap County’s Department of Community Development, and Parks and Recreation Department have teamed together to use US EPA grant funds to remove the old seawall, improve shoreline access and safety, and restore the natural conditions of the shoreline.

“This project helps us get rid of an old bulkhead and demonstrates to the public how a shoreline can be restored,” noted Dori Leckner, Kitsap County Parks Superintendent. “It would be more expensive to rebuild, and this project shows us that a bulkhead is of no use in preventing erosion here anyway.” The project studied all Kitsap County shorelines and Anna Smith Park was shown as an important area for sediment source contribution to the nearshore.

The bulkhead removal project is part of a larger Kitsap Regional Shoreline Restoration Project funded by the EPA Watershed Assistance Program. Bulkheads and seawalls often trap natural sediment contributions to beaches and can impact salmon feeding areas and forage fish spawning grounds. When bulkheads aren’t protecting structures, their removal can help restore shoreline functions,

Dedicated Beach Watcher volunteers have participated in pre-bulkhead monitoring to collect valuable information on the state of the beach. The efforts of these citizens will help to track ecological and physical changes over the years following bulkhead removal.

Shoreline access to the park is closed during the restoration, which will be completed in the beginning of September 2012.

For more information, please contact Christina Kereki, project coordinator at 360-337-5777.