The Homer City Council passed a resolution at their last meeting on Jan. 27, formally stating their intention to partner with state authorities to address erosion on the Homer Spit.

Resolution 25-007, sponsored by Mayor Rachel Lord, says that the City of Homer intends to partner with the Alaska Department of Transportation and “potential other affected stakeholders” in local sponsorship of a general investigation by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers into coastal erosion on the Spit. The resolution also requests that the state Legislature appropriate $1.2 million in the capital budget for fiscal year 2026 to help fund the study, as the state’s share of the required $1.5 million local sponsor match.

This action by the council comes after incidents of severe erosion on the west side of the Spit late last year, in November and December, caused by annual winter storm surges that impacted not only the Spit beach and Homer Spit Road, but several local businesses and city utilities.

Homer has also sought and implemented erosion mitigation measures for several decades. According to the resolution, the city previously partnered with DOT and USACE to complete a general investigation, which led to the installation of 1,000 feet of rock revetment in 1992 and an additional 3,700-foot extension in 1998 to protect Homer Spit Road from “erosive forces.”

However, “stronger” and “more frequent” storm surges, combined with a lack of periodic beach nourishment, accelerated “beach lowering … at an alarming rate.” Other emergency revetment projects have been conducted on the Spit, but significant erosion-related problems continue to occur.

Thus, Lord wrote in the resolution, “there is an urgent need for a comprehensive, multi-agency mitigation and stabilization plan for long-term Homer Spit resiliency.”

In the nearer future, DOT was recently authorized to extend the emergency revetment wall completed in December to connect it to a shoreline hardening structure on property belonging to the Glacier D restaurant. According to the City of Homer website, the state expects contractors to begin this extension in mid-February.

Resolution 25-007 was passed as part of the Jan. 27 consent agenda; no discussion was held by the council.

Find the resolution in full at www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/resolution/resolution-25-007-intent-partner-state-spit-erosion.