Larsen, Smith: $2 Million Coming for Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters Restoration
Washington,
Feb 8 -
Reps. Rick Larsen, WA-02, and Adam Smith, WA-09, today announced $2 million in funding for two Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters Restoration projects. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers funds will go to the Qwuloolt Estuary Restoration Project in Marysville and the Seahurst Beach Restoration Project in Burien.
“I am pleased the Army Corps has recognized the importance of moving ahead on the Qwuloolt Estuary Restoration Project,” Larsen said. “I spoke to Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy last week and I stressed the significance of the work and expressed the community’s support for continuing the work.”
“Seahurst Park serves as a key location for research, education and recreation in Puget Sound and I’m happy the Army Corps has prioritized its restoration with funding support,” Smith said. “This project will help protect endangered wildlife and will ensure our shoreline remains intact.”
The Qwuloolt Estuary Restoration Project is part of a 350-acre project just south of Marysville, between the city’s wastewater treatment plant and the residential neighborhoods on the hill on Sunnyside Boulevard. The project will restore the tidal marsh that existed prior to farming. The project includes levee breaching, levee setbacks, channel restoration and planting of native flora. The project is critical for regional salmon recovery as it restores juvenile salmon habitat, and increases tidal habitats for waterfowl and shorebirds.
The Seahurst Phase II Ecosystem Restoration Project is the second phase of a partnership effort between the City of Burien and the Army Corps to remove and reduce the impact of bulkheads to the nearshore and restore shoreline in Puget Sound. Completion would result in the largest nearshore restoration in the area and will renovate beach habitat to protect endangered wildlife. Each year, Seahurst serves as an outdoor classroom to researchers and more than 10,000 students who receive environmental education about the beach and shoreline restoration efforts. The project is endorsed by the Puget Sound Partnership and has significant support from the scientific and academic community within Washington State.
The funding for the Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters Restoration Program is included in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ work plan for fiscal year 2012, which was provided to Congress this week.
For more information on the Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters Restoration Program, visit http://www.nws.usace.army.mil/PublicMenu/Menu.cfm?sitename=RPPS&pagename=home_page.
For more information on the Qwuloot Estuary Restoration Project, visit http://www.tulalip.nsn.us/qwuloolt/index.html.
For more information on the Seahurst Phase II Ecosystem Restoration Project, visit http://www.BurienWA.gov/SeahurstPark.
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