PORT ANGELES — Crews have begun placing tons of cobble on Ediz Hook to protect the beach from further erosion.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hired Bruch &Bruch Construction of Port Angeles to dump 75,000 tons of rock in front of a revetment on the outside of the hook northeast of the Nippon mill.

The 6- to 12-inch-diameter cobble will provide stability for a portion of the revetment that was damaged and repaired last winter, Army Corps Navigation Program Manager Elizabeth Chien said.

“This is part of the maintenance responsibility that we the Corps have for maintaining the federal project, which is the revetment on the ocean side of the hook,” Chien said.

The Army Corps awarded the contract to Bruch &Bruch on Sept. 30.

The beach nourishment project began Nov. 17 and is expected to be completed by Jan. 12, Chien said. She declined to provide the amount of the contract.

City officials have advised motorists to use caution when driving through the area.

“During this period, dump trucks carrying rock material will be traveling the roads on the hook,” a city of Port Angeles notice said.

“Construction vehicles will also be entering and exiting the road in the area east of Nippon paper. It is important for drivers to be vigilant of this construction traffic, and stay within posted speed limits due to slow moving construction vehicles.”

Anne Shaffer, Coastal Watershed Institute executive director, said the beach nourishment project would have little or no adverse impact.

Some of the sediment released by the removal of the Elwha River dams is transported to Ediz Hook.

“In a nutshell, we don’t have any concerns, as long as they’re using 8-inch or less material,” Shaffer said in a voice mail message.

“What they’re doing actually does, in part, allow the Elwha sediment to accumulate on the Hook as much as it can, given all of the rock that’s out there.

“So it’s about as benign of an activity as they could do, and it’s clear they have to do something because of the erosion that is occurring,” Shaffer added.

“What we absolutely are foursquare against is any larger rock, or rip rap, or sheet pile going on out there, which, that I know of, isn’t happening.”

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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.