Birch Bay Beach Nourishment

Birch Bay work crews applying nourishment sediment, image courtesy CGS.

1.6 miles of Birch Bay beach nourishment has begun! On the ground construction started in early January for what is thought to be the largest beach nourishment project in the greater Puget Sound region (210,000 tons)!

This extensive beach nourishment endeavor is intended to create a broad beach backshore and walking trail. The project was first conceived in 1975 by Wolf Bauer. Jim Johannessen of CGS has worked on several stages of this project over the course of its history. CGS was a key beach designer for the consultant team, working for Whatcom County Public Works.

Work is occurring at the south end of the project most evenings through February 15 and will start again after Labor Day continuing northward.

A new beach for Bellingham’s Waypoint Park

CGS completed beach concepts, designs, and construction planning for the new Waypoint Park beach in Bellingham, and is currently doing construction oversight as this new beach comes together. The beach involved the removal of a treated wood bulkhead, and is located on the former Georgia-Pacific pulp mill along downtown Bellingham’s waterfront. Check out the video below from the Bellingham Herald on the recent progress of the project! Visit the Bellingham Herald website to view more videos like this one about the progress of Waypoint Park, which is set to open in summer 2018.

Weaverling Spit Restoration Phase 3, Fidalgo Bay

In fall of 2017, Coastal Geologic Services completed Phase 3 of the Weaverling Spit Restoration project for the Samish Indian Nation. Weaverling Spit is located on the west shore of the Fidalgo Bay Aquatic Reserve, across from Marchs Point in Skagit County. The spit contains documented forage fish spawning beaches for surf smelt, which are an important food source for many marine mammals, birds, and fish — particularly salmon.

Over 200 cubic yards of rock and fill debris were removed from the rockery armor at the Samish RV parking area, and soft shore beach nourishment (sediment import) along with large wood installations were placed along the regraded upper beach to improve beach stability and forage fish spawning habitat.

This project occurred in three phases: Phase 1 was completed in 2009, Phase 2 was completed in 2012, and Phase 3 concluded in September 2017 after 2 years of work. CGS completed mapping, assessment, design, and monitoring, and assisted with planning and construction oversight for all three phases.

High resolution mapping in action

This is a sample 3D model created for a recent project using aerial imagery from a drone (UAV or UAS). CGS uses drone imagery and RTK GPS technology to produce high-quality models and topographic surfaces anchored in geographic space. View our Mapping and Monitoring Services page to learn more about how this technique is applied.