A moving tidal channel has been wiping out an average of 100 feet of Washington’s coast per year for the past century.
Washaway Beach, home to a large spit called Cape Shoalwater, began eroding at a rapid rate of 124 feet a year. In the 1920s alone, 30 homes and buildings were claimed by the erosion, including a lighthouse, light saving station, a clam cannery, a school, and a grange hall. Including the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, erosion has destroyed 20 homes in recent decades and caused State Highway 105 to relocate.
Photo Credit: Erika Langley
A couple weeks ago, I visited Washaway Beach after two years of being away, and I was in shock. I couldn’t believe the amount of shore that had been swept away while I had been gone at school. During my day exploring the erosion, I spoke with a local who had been living there for quite some time. He explained that at one point, he was walking the shoreline about a mile out into the ocean. With the slightest twinkle in his eye, you could tell he was saddened by his loss of neighbors.
Photo Credit: Erika Langley
After doing some research and discovering that there are quite a few myths about why the erosion is happening at such a fast rate, I finally found a believable answer. What causes this consistent eroding along the coast? A circular cycle. As the tidal channel migrates north, the underwater sandbar rapidly forms near the entrance of the Willapa Bay. The waves then continue to push the sand south, which in turn breaks through the sand bar. It’s never ending cycle that continues to push the sand bar into the center of Willapa Bay’s entrance.
This erosion has claimed 3 homes in a week, 150 feet in a year, and a lifetime of memories for many people. Tim Betts, whose home fell into the ocean in 2014, said “I think this was all ocean at one time, it was all sand. And it’s just reclaiming itself. I think it’s just the currents doing what they do.”
Photo Credit: Erika Langley
Located in Grayland, Washington, this quickly disappearing shoreline with no help in sight is a destination worth visiting. Between the wreckage of houses and massive waves out on the sandbar, the sights are overwhelming. It’s incredible to see this ocean claiming land at such vast lengths but terrifying that our oceans can take so much from us. If you haven’t already, take a walk along Washaway Beach soon. See what is there before the next miles are swept away into the sea.
For more information regarding the location and history of Washaway Beach
