Part 4 of a 5-part series. You can read part 1 here, part 2 here and part 3 here.

This article on the Edmonds Marsh and Estuary is the fourth in a series discussing the state of Edmonds waters. Previously I introduced readers to stormwater, then the state of Edmonds’ streams, and of Edmonds’ marine waters. The next and final article will offer solutions to improve the quality of Edmonds’ waters and habitat.

The Edmonds Marsh, located just south of Harbor Square between SR 104 and the railroad, is a 22-acre remnant of the original marsh and estuary. Once important habitat for migrating juvenile salmon and for spawning coho and chum, it covered over 100 acres. Open to Puget Sound, it stretched from Point Edwards to the ferry terminal and was used by Tulalip and Suquamish tribes for fishing, hunting and foraging

The estuary has undergone many changes. The western edge was filled for the railroad. It was split by Dayton Avenue, and the southern portion was filled for the Unocal (now Chevron) oil facility. The northern two-thirds were filled for private development in the 1970s, and by the Port of Edmonds for Harbor Square. Willow Creek was contained in a pipe by Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT); it runs underneath the Unocal site and discharges into Puget Sound. Today, the other connection to the Sound is a city-owned, 1,600-foot pipe near the railroad that discharges directly into Puget Sound.  Unfortunately, the pipes prevent salmon accessing the marsh and the creeks.

The shrunken, 22-acre marsh was donated to the City of Edmonds by Unocal and is now a city park. It is recognized as a significant regional bird habitat and as part of a wildlife corridor stretching along Puget Sound.

The Unocal site and Harbor Square are both contaminated. Chevron is cleaning the Unocal site under the guidance of the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE). The soil under Harbor Square is subject to covenants against disturbing the underlying pollution.

In 2007, WSDOT signed a purchase agreement for the Unocal site and placed $8 million in an escrow account, planning to relocate the ferry terminal there. That plan has been abandoned. The transaction is still in escrow until DOE determines that the site is clean enough to allow development, then WSDOT will take ownership.

The current Marsh configuration comes with problems aside from the remaining contamination. Clearly, restoration of the marsh and estuary means restoring habitat for migrating Chinook salmon and giving spawning chum and coho access to the lower portions of Willow and Shellabarger creeks. Perhaps of greater interest to some, restoration offers the opportunity to eliminate flooding from the Edmonds Marsh that periodically inundates Dayton Avenue and Harbor Square.

Many changes were made to the original estuary without a clear understanding of their impact. Today, a study is underway to evaluate removing the (contaminated) fill material and restoring a functioning estuary. Funded by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Fish and Wildlife Foundation coastal resiliency grant managed by the City of Edmonds with assistance by the citizen volunteers of Edmonds Marsh Estuary Advocates, the engineers are looking at the effect of excavating the Unocal site, restoring the estuary and providing flood protection for Dayton Avenue and Harbor Square. Subsequent phases will undertake preliminary design and technical studies to support permit applications, followed by final design, acquisition and construction.

This will all take many years, but substantial grant funding and other support is available making this a real possibility. This will be discussed in the next article in this series.

— By Bill Derry

Edmonds resident Bill Derry is the president of the Pilchuck Audubon Society and a member of the Edmonds Marsh Estuary Advocates. He previously served six years on the board of directors for People for Puget Sound.