Ebey Slough waters flow into Qwuloolt Estuary as dam is breached

MARYSVILLE – A project that took 20 years to complete culminated Aug. 28 as bulldozers removed part of a levee, reopening 350 acres of historic wetlands to threatened salmon.

By Steve Powell • August 28, 2015 4:34 pm
Bulldozers and excavators remove part of the levee as water from Ebey Slough enters the Qwuloolt Estuary for the first time in a century. Officials hope by doing this salmon will return in even greater numbers to this area.
Bulldozers and excavators remove part of the levee as water from Ebey Slough enters the Qwuloolt Estuary for the first time in a century. Officials hope by doing this salmon will return in even greater numbers to this area.

MARYSVILLE – A project that took 20 years to complete culminated Aug. 28 as bulldozers removed part of a levee, reopening 350 acres of historic wetlands to threatened salmon.

Tulalip Tribes Chairman Mel Sheldon Jr. said the project will bring salmon back in great numbers.

“This is the first large restoration project in the Snohomish estuary, the first of many, and sets the stage for a basin-wide recovery,” he said.

Along with restoring habitat for one of the largest remaining populations of wild Puget Sound chinook salmon, the project also will restore ecological systems, improve flood control and increase recreational opportunities.

The levees cut off the Qwuloolt Estuary from the rest of the waters in the early 1900s, converting it to farmland.

“This breach today represents one of the best opportunities in our region to make a real difference to salmon populations in Puget Sound,” said Jennifer Steger of NOAA.

The restoration project reconnects the Qwuloolt Estuary to Ebey Sough, connects the slough to a network of excavated starter channels to facilitate fish access and drainage, and a 4,000-foot levee was built to protect surrounding properties.