Edmonds: Marsh Restoration

The successful completion of the preliminary evaluations for the Edmonds Marsh Estuary restoration, a collaborative effort between the City of Edmonds and the Edmonds Marsh Estuary Advocates (Marshians), has immediately paved the way for the project's crucial next steps and long-term future. This momentum is focused on securing funding and executing the design phase, which will ultimately lead to physical restoration. The partnership has already submitted a competitive application for a new National Coastal Resiliency Fund (NCRF) grant, seeking support for the development of a 30% design for the estuary's restoration. This application has successfully navigated the highly selective pre-proposal stage, signifying the project’s strong potential for future funding.

If this next grant is approved, the project will move swiftly to conduct a comprehensive public planning process to develop the 30% design. This design is centered on excavating a portion of the environmentally important Unocal site and constructing an open channel to directly connect the marsh to Puget Sound, fulfilling the core goal of estuary restoration. In parallel, this phase will involve critical preparatory work, including identifying and assessing coastal flood risks and vulnerabilities, completing a professional land appraisal, and performing a cultural resources site study. The team will also finalize detailed estimates of the restoration costs and, crucially, outline a comprehensive strategy for securing the extensive funding needed for the project's final construction and implementation.

The ultimate long-term goal of this sustained effort is to restore the Edmonds Marsh Estuary and protect both the built and natural assets of the Edmonds waterfront, a high-priority community objective. The path ahead involves several key milestones that must be achieved sequentially: settling the future ownership and disposition of the Unocal site, securing all necessary funding, finalizing the comprehensive project design and permitting, implementing the construction phase, and meticulously monitoring the restoration outcomes. The expected result is the creation of a resilient, functioning estuary that will safeguard Edmonds’ shoreline while delivering significant and enduring ecological, cultural, and community benefits for generations to come.