Someone’s boat dock from up the Alsea River sits among mountains of wood debris washed to the mouth of the Alsea Bay after three massive rainstorms in mid-December. (Garret Jaros/Lincoln Chronicle)By GARRET JAROS/Lincoln Chronicle
The atmospheric rivers that delivered a deluge of rain and wind in December – triggering scores of rivers and creeks to flood and saturated ground to give way in landslides across the Pacific Northwest – have passed.
But the remnants of those storms remains in eye-catching accumulations of woody debris strewn across stretches of beaches and estuaries at the mouths of coastal rivers.
And nowhere is it more apparent than along the south side of Alsea Bay and adjacent beach and Siletz Bay where a collection of uprooted trees, logs and sticks punctuated by the occasional dock and other manmade detritus is drawing droves of onlookers.
Debris washed downstream from the Alsea River nearly fills the beach on the south side of the entrance to Alsea Bay. (Garret Jaros/Lincoln Chronicle)“From what I’ve witnessed, I’d say this seems more than we’ve had in recent years as far as the accumulation within the river mouths leading out to the ocean,” said Oregon State Parks’ central coast manager Brian Fowler. “It’s more than I’ve experienced in my time out here.”
The last significant atmospheric river event in Oregon occurred as a series of storms that peaked Dec. 18-19, but was part of a larger, prolonged period of heavy rainfall and flooding that began Dec. 8. The torrent triggered a massive landslide Dec. 12 that closed Oregon Highway 229 between Siletz and Kernville and washed rocks, trees, mud and homes into the Siletz River.
“Obviously we understand what’s gone on up north with the Siletz with that mud slide but we’ve definitely had our fair share of organic and inorganic items finding their way into little pockets farther south,” Fowler said.
State parks will make decisions to leave or remove debris based on any direct impact to peoples’ ability to safely and efficiently access the beaches, Fowler said.
“There are some areas where we just let it lie even though we have a huge accumulation of debris,” Fowler said. “And it doesn’t present a potential danger. But that’s where our education of ‘Hey folks, stay off driftwood – it takes six inches of water to move a six-ton log.’ So we get good messaging out as far as the hazards that are there.”
Much of the beach at Governor Patterson Memorial State Recreation Site near Waldport is covered with debris from December rainstorms and flooding. Oregon State Parks will leave the debris there unless it impedes access to the beach. (Garret Jaros/Lincoln Chronicle)The estuary and beach at the mouth of the Siletz in the Taft section of Lincoln City is one of those naturally accumulating areas because of the ebb and flow of tides and surge of water coming in from the bay to form a perfect little vortex.
“I was up there the day before Christmas – and I’ve grown up in the area – and I’d say it has quite a bit of debris,” Fowler said. “The city has put a dumpster there because unfortunately there’s a lot of inorganic materials that have washed up. But I think one thing in that area that’s slightly of concern is when we get into the dryer time of the year, beach fires and things like that.
“You have so much woody debris in there and it really intensifies the message of ‘Don’t build your fires in the driftwood,’ because that could act as a nice little tinder box there,” he added. “And as tempting as it might look, just stay off the driftwood. It’s one fatal roll from getting trapped underneath one.”
- Garret Jaros covers the communities of Yachats, Waldport, south Lincoln County and natural resources issues for Lincoln Chronicle and can be reached at [email protected]
