Island County has a new plan that governs the use of the shoreline.

In a 2-1 vote last month, Island County commissions adopted the Shoreline Master Program, which is mandated to be updated every 10 years under the the state Shoreline Management Act that must be updated every 10 years. The plan currently sits with the Department of Ecology to provide recommendations before it is implemented.

The major updates to the program tightened the definition of dredging, loosened drain field replacement rules and changed how sea wall applications are assessed. The sole “no” vote came from Commissioner Jill Johnson, citing concerns with the process at large.

Johnson said her concern is about local control.

“I believe that when this board votes it should reflect this board’s values and not things that we are told to do by the state,” she said.

The Department of Ecology has a 30-day deadline to provide the county with recommended revisions to the program.

“That kind of, ‘we’ll make you do it, but we’ll tell you how,’ there’s just no part of me that finds that appropriate,” Johnson said. “I don’t think it speaks to local government well. I don’t think it’s respectful of our local voices and input.”

Before the vote, stabilization structures had to be approved by a trend analysis of prior rates of erosion. Now, citizens must show damage or potential damage to structures, but they do not need to prove prior trends. This is due to the increasing impacts of sea level rise.

While the Whidbey Environmental Action Network, or WEAN, newsletter said that many felt the county’s update was insufficient, on an episode of the Action Hour podcast, WEAN founder Steve Erickson said that focusing on predictions instead of trends is a step in the right direction.

“That’s certainly better than doing a trend analysis with historical data where the current conditions are changing rapidly,” he said.

The updated program now allows drain field replacement or relocation during a like-for-like replacement of septic components with a shoreline exemption limited permit.

By public works recommendation, the commissioners also tightened the definition of dredging so that staff could remove some driftwood and debris from localized areas to solve a problem such as flooding without going through the formal dredging process. This clears the way for public works to perform mitigation or maintenance or an emergency response.

Commissioner Janet St. Clair emphasized the importance of the pre-application process for permits and urged greater outreach for this. It benefits the applicant to meet with the county before applying, she said.

“It reminds me of going wine tasting, where if I spend $20 I get 20 bucks off my next bottle of wine, but that may not be an appropriate metaphor for what we’re doing here,” she said.

Public comments on this issue brought in concerns over sea level rise, coastal flooding, protection standards, increasing storm severity impacts and marine wildlife and ecosystem protections.

Erickson said that the program is insufficient as it regulates people and structures with no consideration for wildlife and the greater environment. Further, sea walls as a concept are generally limited.

“You could build a 50-foot sea wall all around Whidbey Island, but there’s only so much money in the world, and when congress acts, are they more likely to protect Whidbey Island or are they more likely to maybe protect New York City, which is also being flooded?” he asked on the Action Hour podcast. “This is just one little drip in the bucket.”

Once the Department of Ecology responds with recommendations, the county will address the changes and finally implement the code.