Snohomish County 9/2/2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

EXHIBIT A Description of Smith Island Project I. Conceptual Design: The concept for the Smith Island Project is to restore approximately 300-400 acres of estuarine/intertidal wetlands in the Snohomish River Estuary, WRIA 7,by removing large sections of the existing dike along Union Slough. The Smith Island Project Site is shown on the diagram map attached hereto as Schedule 1. The Smith Island Project will reconnect between 300 and 400-acres of land to tidal and riverine hydrology, thus restoring the estuarine tidal marsh habitat critical for Chinook salmon and other fish and wildlife. Final site design has not been completed at this time,but some of the key project restoration elements likely include: •Constructing a new setback dike •Removing substantial sections of the existing dike *Reconnecting and enhancing the existing blind tidal channel network •Increasing topographic complexity •Filling existing linear ditch system •Removing and/or relocating existing tide gates *Constructing large woody debris complexes •Suppressing and controlling invasive weeds •Re-vegetating selected areas with native species II. Project Background: The need for and scope of the Smith Island Project was identified in the Snohomish Estuary Wetland Integration Plan(SEWIP; 1997). In 1999, the Smith Island Project Site was the top ranked site for restoration in the Priority Lands Acquisition Study. In 2001, the County acquired 100 acres at the Smith Island Project Site for the purpose of inclusion in the Smith Island Project. The purchase was funded with County Conservation Futures. When approving the purchase, the Snohomish County Council directed that these acres be made available for wetland mitigation purposes. The County has since conducted additional property acquisitions, data collection and analyses, preliminary design, and stakeholder outreach and coordination. In 2005, the Snohomish River Basin Salmon Conservation Plan designated the Project as a high priority undertaking to recover ESA listed Chinook salmon and other salmonid species in the Snohomish River Basin. In 2008,the Project was highlighted as a"Near-term Action" in Puget Sound Partnership's 2020 Action Agenda for Puget Sound. III. Current Status of Project: A SEPA determination of significance for the Smith Island Project was issued by DPW on June 26, 2009. A SEPA draft environmental impact statement was issued in June 2011, and INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SMITH ISLAND RESTORATION PROJECT PAGE 19