Saving Salmon-Smith Island Restoration

The Smith Island Restoration Project site consists of approximately 486 acres of publicly and privately owned land located on the northeast portion of Smith Island, within the Snohomish River estuary and near the city of Everett. The site is bounded by Union Slough to the east and north, Interstate 5 to the west, and Everett's wastewater treatment plant to the south.

"Restoring salmon runs is an important priority for Snohomish County," said Councilmember Dave Gossett. "This project will help achieve the salmon recovery benchmarks identified in both the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan and the Snohomish River Basin Salmon Conservation Plan."

The County intends to restore historic tidal marsh conditions by constructing a new setback dike further west on the site and breaching the existing dike along Union Slough.

"Restoration of the tidal marshlands will provide vital habitat for Chinook and other salmon species in the Snohomish River basin," said Gossett.

The State of Washington Recreation and Conservation Office offers grants to local jurisdictions through the Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program (ESRP) to protect and restore the Puget Sound. The Snohomish County Council approved the acceptance of a $2,600,000 grant for the Smith Island project on November 24th. County Conservation Futures dollars and other grants will also be used to fund the project.

"The Smith Island project is a great example of how jurisdictions can work together for salmon recovery," said Gossett. 

In addition to enhancing salmon recovery the project may reduce the impact of flooding. Increased flood storage provided by the restored Smith Island tidal marsh may decrease flood pressure on other agricultural lands and diking districts in the estuary.

The Smith Island Restoration Project is a large and complex project from both an infrastructure and a public policy standpoint. Extensive environmental review is required by the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The County anticipates that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) will be available by spring 2011.

Release of the DEIS will be followed by a 30-day public comment period. During this time, the public or interested stakeholders may communicate their interests and concerns to the county related to any particular component or element of the project, including the No-Action Alternative.