2010/11/03 Council Agenda Packet

8 Attachment C—Work Proposal Drainage District No. 6 (DD6) Restoration—Snohomish River Estuary Sponsor and Contact: City of Everett Mark Sadler Public Works Department Maintenance Superintendent - 3200 Cedar St (425) 257-8967 Everett, WA 98201 msadler@ci.everett.wa.us Overall DD6 Restoration Project Objectives The proposed DD6 Estuary Restoration Project is a regionally prioritized project for endangered species recovery, listed in The Snohomish River Basin Salmon Conservation Plan in WRIA 7. The project proposes to construct a new set-back levee and then remove portions of the existing dike along Ebey Slough to reestablish approximately 300 acres of former agricultural lands into intertidal estuarine habitat. Habitat recovery is expected to occur through natural hydrodynamic processes via tidal exchange,tidal channel formation, and sediment deposition. This will then allow the newly created habitat to be re-colonized by native tidal marsh vegetation and juvenile salmonids, including ESA-listed juvenile Chinook salmon and steelhead trout,migratory waterfowl, and other species of fish and wildlife. A site map follows below. Approach In June 2009 the City of Everett entered into the U.S. Army's Corps of Engineers Corps' Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters (PSAW)Restoration Program(Section 544,Water Resources Development Act of 2000)to work with the Corps to determine whether there is a Federal interest in cost sharing the study and then implement an ecosystem restoration project at Diking District 6. The Corps 544 PSAW program has a stepwise process to complete projects. Once the Corps decides it is an appropriate project under PSAW(which they have for DD6), a project management plan is completed by the Corps. In the fall of 2010,the Corps will complete a project management plan for the feasibility study phase. This will serve as the"road map" for completion of the study phase,identifying budget, schedule, and study tasks. The Project Management Plan is funded 100% by the Corps The project will then complete a cost share(50/50) agreement with the local sponsor(the City of Everett)to complete a feasibility study. This interlocal agreement is in progress and is expected to be signed by end of 2010. Once the agreement is signed it authorizes the Corps to execute a feasibility study. Through the Feasibility Study the Corps and project sponsor will determine the extent and scope of the project,review alternatives, perform a cost/benefit economic analysis, finalize an alternative,prepare a feasibility report, conduct technical reviews of products, and prepare NEPA documentation. At this stage the project is completed to a 35%design level and documents are completed for the federal permitting requirements. Previously Snohomish County proposed the construction of a 2,115-ft long set-back levee to protect the City's water transmission pipeline against tidal inundation and provide about 300 acres to be restored to intertidal wetlands. The Feasibility Study will evaluate the previous work and dd6 nrda settlement scope ms 101810.doc 2 7 10/18/2010