Olympia City Council to vote on shared funding, governance for Deschutes Estuary project 

The Olympia City Council reviewed a draft interlocal agreement for the Deschutes Estuary restoration project presented by the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services on Tuesday, October 1.  

The project, which aims to remove the existing dam and reintroduce tidal flows to the estuary, has been in development for almost a decade.  

Tessa Gardner-Brown, the project manager for the consultant team, said one component of the estuary restoration project includes building a new 5th Avenue Bridge. This will enable the removal of the existing dam and dredging to reestablish the Deschutes River channel. The project will restore over 260 acres of habitat, address water quality issues, and reintroduce recreation. 

"At the end of construction, the 5th Avenue dam would be removed to reintroduce tidal flow, and that's when we start to see all of those benefits come into the project area. In the future, there would be maintenance dredging in West Bay," Gardner-Brown said.  

Gardner-Brown explained that future maintenance dredging in West Bay is a critical project component. This was identified during the EIS process to allow the natural estuary and urban maritime activities to coexist.

Removing sediment from the navigational areas downstream enables the marinas and port to remain operational, preserving the vibrant waterfront integral to Olympia's character. "Maintenance dredging is a commitment through 2050 and is the basis of the ILA." 

Gardner-Brown shared renderings of the 5th Avenue Bridge, developed through a collaborative process between the project team and Olympia.  

One feature of the new bridge is an oculus—a large opening or hole in the middle of the bridge span.  

Ann Larson, the project director for the Deschutes Estuary Restoration project and representing the DES, explained that the oculus is intended to serve as an educational opportunity, allowing the 10,000 students who visit the nearby Capitol campus annually to observe the returning salmon and other aquatic life in the restored estuary. 

Funding and shared responsibilities 

Sarah Reich, a project director with the ECO Northwest, provided an overview of the ILA, which outlines the shared funding and management responsibilities for maintaining and operating the estuary.  

She explained that the ILA is rooted in the guiding principles established by the Funding and Governance Work Group, which was convened in 2016 to consider the project's general support and shared funding.

These principles include: 

• Providing a dedicated funding source for the infrastructure and maintenance of the project.  

• Balancing the costs between the state and the entities that will benefit from the project.  

• Establishing a manageable governance structure to oversee the project. 

ILA also identified the ownership of the various project components among the participating entities – Wahington State-DES, Squaxin Island Tribe, Olympia, Tumwater, Thurston County, Port of Olympia, and LOTT Clean Water Alliance.  

After construction is completed, Olympia's new 5th Avenue Bridge will become an asset owned by the city.  

As for financial contribution, Olympia would contribute an estimated $11.5 million for long-term sediment management costs.  

Reich noted that ILA allows the Deschutes Estuary Coordinating Steering Committee to review and adjust the 4.5% annual escalation on the local funding contributions. This review can happen regularly after the first five years. The committee can modify the escalation rate if appropriate based on market conditions. This is the one aspect of the total cost allocation that can be changed. 

The Olympia City Council will vote on the ILA at its meeting on October 8.