Posted on May 1, 2026
At their meeting on April 22, Tillamook County commissioners gave Tillamook County Director of Community Development Sarah Absher permission to take the lead on permitting a United States Army Corps of Engineers project to dredge the channel between the Port of Garibaldi and the tip of Bayocean Spit.
The project will take place after the completion of the rehabilitation of the south jetty at the entrance to the bay this summer and aim to increase navigability and the flow of water through the channel between the jetties.
Port of Garibaldi General Manager Mike Saindon appeared at the meeting alongside Absher and explained that lots of sediment was flowing down the Miami River and being deposited in the channel, leading to daily incidents of boats running around while trying to enter the port’s boat basin.
Saindon said that dredging was a challenge at ports statewide, with all 23 public ports in the state facing issues with trying to fund dredging projects, as costs have in some cases quadrupled since 2019, with the port’s dredging needs for its boat basin alone jumping in price from $500,000 to $2 million.
Saindon said that the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) had agreed to do the larger project several years ago but only recently secured funding to support the inflated costs.
However, USACE staff will not go through the necessary state and county permitting processes, Absher said, a common occurrence with corps projects. Given the project’s importance to the local economy, Absher said that she felt it would be appropriate for her to take the lead on permitting.
The main concern as relates to permitting the project, Absher said, is identifying a suitable location for the dredged material to be deposited. To do so, Absher is working with state officials from the Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Land Conservation and Development, as well as others, to complete analyses of shellfish beds and fish migration in the area to find a site that will qualify under the state’s environmental regulations.
After that, Absher will need to go through a comprehensive plan amendment process to allow the identified site to serve as a dredged materials dump site, requiring multiple public hearings. In addition to requesting permission to lead the process, Absher asked that commissioners give her authorization to waive $4,500 in permitting fees for the project, as the county will likely end up serving as the applicant.
Speaking to the underlying situation, Saindon said that Tillamook Bay had been designated a self-scouring bay in 1913, making it ineligible for regular federal funding for dredging.
But in the century plus since that designation, massive sediment deposits during the Tillamook Burn and changes to the flow of water into and out of the bay during the collapse of Bayocean spit in the 1950s have significantly lessened the self-scouring capabilities of the channel. That has led crossing the bar to become a dangerous undertaking, as its location shifts, preventing the Coast Guard from being able to mark or recommend a safe channel into and out of the bay.
Saindon said that dredging between the port and base of the jetties would increase flows in the federal channel, starting to alleviate the issue, before a planned future project dredges between the jetties to create a stepped channel, hopefully restoring full self-scouring functionality to the bay’s entrance. Saindon said that the was also discussing potential projects to help decrease sediment deposit around the port with USACE staff as well.
At the meeting, commissioners also approved an adopt-a-park agreement with the Netarts Enhancement Committee, paving the way for the group to upgrade the Netarts boat basin with a nature park. The project is being spearheaded by local Roger Miller, who has committed matching funds for the project up to $35,000 and is working to find grant opportunities and donations to support the rest of the $121,000 budget.
The project will see the area to the south of the boat ramp enhanced with native plants, a new sidewalk and kiosk added, and a covered picnic table placed on the north side of the ramp. Miller appeared at the meeting and told commissioners that he already had a commitment from 25 community members to help with ongoing maintenance of the park as needed once construction is complete.
Commissioners also approved pass through grants from the state government to Community Action Resource Enterprises (CARE) and Helping Hands to fund services designated for participants in the county’s deflection program. Helping Hands received $25,000 to pay for the cost of one bed in their emergency shelter, while CARE received $103,000 for a designated bed in their nightly shelter and to provide transportation for people participating in the program.
Tillamook’s deflection program began last year and relies on law enforcement officers and members of local community health and nonprofit organizations reaching out to those experiencing substance use disorders and helping them to connect with treatment options. The program has helped more than 30 people since its inception.
