County officials told commissioners the Toutle Park area has experienced rapid riverbank erosion that has undermined road access and threatens three homes built on former pond fill. Mike Moss, the county’s public services director, said the river “has eroded the bank in certain areas up to 15 feet, since that point.”

The county’s engineer, Susan Eugenis, described a two-part immediate strategy: establish temporary access to avoid stranding residents and prepare emergency repair contracts that can be rolled into the county’s current disaster response. Eugenis said the plan for a nearby site (referred to as Barnes Drive) includes removing damaged material, placing about five feet of quarry spalls with a geotextile layer, then benching with roughly 18 feet of structural fill topped with base rock. She said limited local traffic could be allowed once base rock is in place and paving would be scheduled “as soon as we can in March,” with a limited opening possible earlier.

Eugenis said the county will work with property owners to secure temporary access and explore short-term bypass options that would keep traffic away from the river’s current path and noted potential temporary restrictions on off-road vehicle access to reduce wear on temporary gravel routes.

On funding, staff said Barnes Drive and similar debris removal would qualify for FEMA reimbursement. Eugenis told the board that preliminary damage assessments are due “around” Jan. 23 and described differences between small- and large-project handling in FEMA’s current process — noting a historical small-project threshold near $250,000 and that the program’s thresholds have changed and can be near $1,000,000 under today’s rules. She cautioned that preexisting slides (a South County slide discussed separately) may be ineligible for FEMA repair funds, while some locations will qualify.

Asked about legal authority for emergency repairs if property owners do not grant access, Eugenis said the county can act. “We have the right of imminent domain for public health and safety,” she said.

The county said it is coordinating with the Army Corps’ historical spoil placements and property owners (including timber and private landholders) to establish access. Staff committed to provide updates after property-owner visits and to bring emergency contract proposals forward as soon as access is secured.

Next steps: staff will continue property-owner outreach, prepare emergency contract documents, submit preliminary damage assessments for FEMA, and report back to the commissioners within days if access is granted or a contracting path is established.