Members of the Island County Marine Resources Committee provided plenty of environmental-related recommendations for county commissioners to consider.

During a workshop session last month, committee members gave a presentation on their White Paper, which addresses sea level rise and climate resiliency. The document can help inform the county’s comprehensive planning efforts, as Public Health Director Shawn Morris explained to the commissioners.

Barbara Bennett, Patrick Havel and Kelly Zupich authored and led the presentation. The committee provides monitoring, restoration, outreach and advisory work.

Havel explained that the overall climate outlook for the Pacific Northwest is trending towards warmer, drier summers and higher storm surges and extreme high tides, the likes of which have already been felt on Whidbey. Sea level rise, Havel said, increases the risk of saltwater intrusion into the island’s wells. He recommended that the county work with federal, state and local agencies to understand the water balance and plan for future demands.

Havel also spoke about the potential for marine wildlife to be affected, with extreme heat waves coinciding with low tides during daylight hours. He recommended working with regional partners on data collection to monitor effects on marine resources of ecological and economic importance, such as shellfish, forage, fish, kelp, eelgrass and salmon.

Sea level rise increases the risk of coastal communities, including properties, septic drain fields, utilities and water systems. Havel emphasized that mitigation is key.

“After an inundation event is not the time to find that insurance does not cover the damage or that the government can’t pick up the tab,” he said. “Ensure emergency response plans anticipate septic system exposure.”

Extreme flooding events drive a rush to armor shorelines or place barriers to divert water, which Havel advised against doing.

“Bulkheads have been proven to be an ineffective investment in the long term for property protection and in fact, increase damage to the ecosystem overall,” he said.

Recently the committee was funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to conduct an updated survey of shoreline bulkhead armoring across Whidbey and Camino islands, which was last done in 2016. Havel said 25% of the shoreline remains armored.

Commissioner Jill Johnson said in some instances hard armoring is the preferred option for protection, but she agreed with Havel’s statement about flooding. Commissioner Janet St. Clair said she lives in a place in which bulkheads keep neighborhoods from sliding down the hill.

The committee’s policy recommendations include the use of predictive models that account for the increased prevalence of extreme events and the exploration of options to increase public access, among other things. The commissioners were advised to begin planning for extreme events and to direct staff to gather data.

“Our primary ask today is to shift away from historic trend analysis and instead focus on future projections of extreme events for all planning efforts,” Havel said.

Johnson took umbrage with using the predictive models.

“I think it’s important to plan for the future and look at those trends, but trend predictors are often wrong,” she said.

Jen Schmitz, the county’s Natural Resources Manager, said it’s not dissimilar to the county’s comprehensive plan management approach that’s been taken. Bennett added that to make better predictions, county hydrologists have suggested making a budget for every aquifer, which includes pattern of uses and rate of recharge.

St. Clair spoke about the importance of incentivizing residents to make good choices and build solutions.

“Your gravity fed septic system that you put in in 1968 ain’t gonna cut it in 2030,” she said.

Ultimately, Johnson said she thought the White Paper was a good tool to have, and the commissioners would be foolish to not incorporate the committee’s work into the county’s comprehensive planning process.