Oppose Shoreline Armoring at Breakers Point

VICTORY! On May 28, 2020, the City of Cannon Beach Planning Commission voted to deny the Breakers Point permit for sheet pile!

The Issue: The Breakers Point Condominium Development has proposed installing a massive sheet pile wall adjacent to Ecola Creek Estuary. The Ecola Creek Estuary is designated an essential habitat for salmon. Sheet pile  and other vertical hardened structures will accelerate sediment transport at the margins of the estuary, furthering channelization and disrupting the habitat. These margins and the associated velocity of water is critical for salmon resting and rearing. Accelerated sediment transport will likely result in impacts to beaches, recreational users and nearby property owners. Further, the project is seeking a solution for a “predicted problem”, not imminent peril to the property. The application itself states that the current non-hardened structure has kept the bank “reasonably stable”. A forward thinking solution to this problem involves a thoughtful process and well-engineered solution that engages the community, not a hasty hardened structure that will negatively impact salmon habitat, recreational users, local beaches and adjacent property owners.