Sandy post., July 27, 1978, Page 3, Image 3

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Thur».. July 27, 1978 (Set. 1) SANDY ( O f ) P O S T -J
On Sandy River
Property owners seek to control bank erosion
by MARK FLOYD
Service Ed Olmsted. Olmsted has been
told that the funds have been approved
under the Emergency Watershed
Protection Act, but are waiting
President Carter’s signature.
In addition to the three Sandy River
sites, property owners in Zigzag and
Rhododendron have applied fo r
hearings with the Clackamas County.
Those hearings w ill be held in late
August.
The Sandy River area property
owners are concerned that additional
people requesting hearings may delay
the beginning of construction until next
year.
To complicate matters, the U.S. Fish
and W ildlife Department has a cutoff
date for river construction in late
summer. The date, which depends on
weather conditions, is set to protect the
fall salmon run.
Meanwhile, other property owners in
the area are worried that high water
this winter could spell destruction to
their land and homes. One owner of a
site not specified on the request is
hopeful that upstream construction of
the jetties on the Surface residence w ill
protect his property as well.
High water caused by the com­
bination of snow followed by warm rain
in the Sandy River watershed last
December has resulted in extensive
bank erosion along parts of the river.
The erosion has forced a number of
property owners west of Sandy to take
measures to protect their homes Three
property owners with land just west of
Dodge Park have requested develop­
ment permits from the Clackamas
County Hearings Officer to construct
protective barriers on their banks.
The three owners are Jim Kitchen of
Serban Road, and Dwight Baum and
Richard Surface of Marsh Road.
Severest hit was the site belonging to
Kitchen who saw high water destroy
much of his river bank and nearly his
home Kitchen estimates that the river
chewed off 25 feet of the bank on a point
just east of his house and 8-10 feet just
off his deck His deck now is almost
above the edge of the Sandy River.
“ We were more severely hit than the
others,” Kitchen said. “ Our house was
actually in danger, so we moved out for
a couple of days."
“ In the last year, I ’ve seen four feet
of the bank upriver wash away,” Lee
Houston said.
“ Our main concern is long term
stability,” he added “ Otherwise we’re
going to have a loss by constant erosion
year by year.”
The Kitchens did have some bank
reinforcement of rock and timber, but it
washed away during the high water.
Without that protection, Kitchen is
afraid his house might be in the river
this winter.
M IN IM A L E FFE C T
RIPRAPPING
To protect Kitchen's home and the
property of the other owners, sponsors
of the request are hoping to riprap two
of the sites and install jetties on the
third. Riprapping involves placing
stones on the river bank at an angle and
anchoring it several feet below stream
level, according to Clackamas County
Senior Planner Gary Naylor.
“ If i t ’s done right, the riprap can last
a long time without maintenance,”
Naylor said.
Naylor echoed Olmsted’s comments
about the minimal effect the con­
struction would have on the river.
Should the Hearings Officer approve
the development permits, federal
funding for the projects appears to be a
certainty, according to D istrict Con­
servationist for the Soil Conservation
“ I've been told by engineers that
these three modifications are miniscule
when considering all of the elements
that affect the rive r,” Naylor said.
“ The impact, if at all, would be
Another obstacle facing the property
owners appears to be concern about the
downstream effect the construction
may have, Olmsted said.
However, he foresees no visible effect
on the rive r from the riprapping.
“ If you’re going to let people build,
you’ve got to let them protect their
investments,” he said.
below his deck. Kitchen is worried that a good storm
this winter might be enough to send his home into the
river if he isn’t allowed to have a protective device
built.
STANDING PERCARIOUSLY on the banks of the
Sandy River is the home of former Sandy High
basketball coach Jim Kitchen. Last December’s high
water eroded eight feet off the bank of his property just
negligible.”
“ At the same time, they can’t ab­
solutely guarantee that there would be
no impact,” he added.
The final decision rests with the
County Hearings Officer. The hearing
w ill be held tonight (July 27) at7 p.m. in
room 4 of the county courthouse.
ONCE IN 8-9 YEARS
The
w ater
conditions
which
characterized the Sandy River last
December occur on the average of
every eight or nine years. On the other
hand Kitchen said, it could happen
again this year.
Appropriately enough, it was Kitchen
who first got the ball rolling in applying
for federal funds.
“ We explored local agencies during
the first high water period,” he said.
“ They suggested any help would come
from the federal level and that’s when
we contacted Sen. Mark Hatfield’s
office.”
H a tfie ld
set them
onto the
Emergency Watershed Protection Act
and since then others have expressed
interest in applying for the funds.
“ This act has been going on since the
1950’s and hardly anyone has applied
for funding until now,” Olmsted said.
" I ’m afraid this is really going to open
up a can of worms.”
Photos by Mark Floyd
ASSESSOR EYES IMPROVEMENTS
To Tax Lot 2800, T2S R4E Section 13CA
Property Address:
Occupied By:
SAFECO TITLE INSURANCE COMPANY
Chris Meyer, Mngr.
Sharon Corse, Asst. Escrow Officer
J e rri Wolfe, Escrow Secretary, Customer Service
Cindy Daniel, Service Representative
Classification:
1
?
38916 Proctor Blvd.
Sandy, Oregon 97055
F u ll Service T itle A Escrow
Customer Service
Builders Service
NE 1/4 SW 1/4 SECTION 13 T2S R.4E. W.M.
/
CLACKAMAS COUNTY
CAN
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T L
3________________
I____________________ I
JIM KITCHEN is one of three property owners
requesting a development permit to build erosion
prevention devices. High waters on the Sandy River
last December chewed several feet off the bank of
Kitchen’s property.
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