Jefferson County has agreed to hire Environmental Science Associates as the consultant to prepare a sea level rise study for the county.

The county’s Department of Community Development received a grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology for the study earlier this year, and county commissioners signed a grant agreement with the state agency in late April.

At the commissioners’ meeting last week, the board approved a professional services agreement to retain ESA for the work.

The Ecology grant totaled $74,414, and the county will spend $50,000 for consultant work and the remaining $24,424 for department costs, including an assistant planner.

The contract kicks off July 1 and runs through June 30, 2023.

Environmental Science Associates, or ESA, is a Seattle-based environmental planning and design firm that was founded in 1969.

“ESA recognizes the challenges — and costs — that sea level rise, storm surge, and erosion pose to coastal residents, business owners, infrastructure, and other social and cultural values,” ESA said in its response letter to the county’s call for statements of qualifications.

“We have assembled a team of highly qualified experts in regional and local sea level rise science, climate adaption planning, and community engagement to support the county’s efforts,” the firm added.

The ESA team will be led by Lindsey Sheehan, and ESA said Sheeahan has more than a decade of experience in sea level rise analysis and coastal planning and engineering.