Officials meet at Capitol Lake to commemorate step in restoring Deschutes Estuary
There’s been a lot of activity on and around Capitol Lake in downtown Olympia the past couple of weeks, and it’s all in an effort to prepare the body of water to be returned to its natural state as an estuary.
Olympia Mayor Cheryl Selby was joined by Gov. Jay Inslee and Chairman Kris Peters of the Squaxin Island Tribe on Dec. 18 at Heritage Park to talk about the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project and what’s to come in the near future.
Inslee said the restoration project will be a multi-year endeavor, but it’s one that has and will continue to involve the surrounding community and stakeholders. He said he doesn’t think there’s anything better than having more salmon and cleaner water, and a city that’s not underwater.
“We’re doing this for those who can’t speak, like the salmon, the game, the orca,” Peters said. “It’s up to us to do the right thing. My hands go up to you in gratitude for everyone that played a part in making this happen.”
The Department of Enterprise Services was planning to begin conducting surveys of Capitol Lake’s underwater sediment at the end of November. The information was going to be used to understand the depth and shape of the underwater landscape, which would later help inform the design of the estuary restoration project.
Emilie Brown with DES said crews discovered the lake had too much vegetation to complete the survey and they had to pull their boats. She said they will try again likely in early 2024, when the vegetation has died down a bit. Crews were able to successfully survey Budd Inlet, though.
The work that happened from Dec. 18 to Dec. 22, where DES crews drilled holes from Heritage Park, around Capitol Lake and along Deschutes Parkway Southwest, was part of a geotechnical survey. Crews collected ground samples that Brown said will be used to support initial phases of bridge, roadway and boardwalk design.
The work will continue into 2024 and will end with DES gathering stakeholder feedback on the conceptual design in mid-2024. Some of the stakeholders include the cities of Olympia and Tumwater, the Squaxin Island Tribe, the Department of Fish & Wildlife and a Community Sounding Board. Then funding runs out for the project. It’s unclear at this time how the project will be funded in the future, but if it is, the plan is to have the design 100% completed by 2026.
Olympia Mayor Cheryl Selby said the Dec. 18 occasion was a momentous one that was more than 40 years in the making. She said we’re at a critical juncture for the impaired waterway, and the science, the state and the community agree that restoring the estuary is the right path forward.
According to the DES, future plans for the estuary include removal of the 5th Avenue dam to re-introduce tidal flow, which will restore 260 acres of wetland. A new 5th Avenue bridge will be constructed and will include vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle lanes.
The area will need to be dredged of downstream sediment on a routine basis. And the lake itself will need to be dredged during construction to restore the river’s main channel and side channels. Dredge material is going to be used to build 85 acres of salt marsh habitat, which is preferred salmon habitat and increases carbon sequestration.
A hand-carried boat launch will be constructed along with 1 mile of boardwalks along the estuary that will include interpretive signage and art honoring Squaxin Island Tribe stories. And an old fishing pier at the south end of the estuary will be restored.
Scott Stainer, a civil engineer with KPFF Consulting, worked with crews on the drilling project. He said beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the estuary is going to be beautiful.
“I’ve taken a look at a few estuaries that are pretty similar to what we’re aiming for here,” he said. “They really are, it’s a beautiful place to walk around, it’s hugely diverse in what you’re seeing, you’ve got water bodies, riparian areas, you have lots of different types of habitats for all types of different wildlife, which is really great to see and it’s just gonna be cool.”
