McGlinn Island jetty repair work finished

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Swinomish Indian Tribal Community took filling in the gaps to a new level at the aging McGlinn-to-Goat Island rock jetty south of La Conner.

The M/V SeaHorse was contracted for just over two weeks in late May and early June to remove fill material several times a day from a loading area north of the jetty to the work site to plug gaps impacting spring outbound salmon runs.

The emergency repairs, designed to reduce Skagit River flow velocities through the jetty, were completed June 9.

The work involved placement of thousands of cubic yards of cobble and sediment on the river side of the jetty. Porous areas along the jetty had stranded, harmed or killed out-migrating juvenile salmon.

The project forced temporary closure of access to popular hiking trails on McGlinn Island, one of which leads to a lookout immediately above the jetty.

Repairs commenced about a month after biologists discovered dead and injured juvenile fish during a site visit to assess long-range maintenance needs at the jetty, constructed in the late 1930s a result of federal legislation to protect navigable waters and provide safe passage to commercial, recreational and tribal vessels plying between Skagit and Padilla bays.

“Days after the initial discovery, we assembled a crisis action team to work closely with the Swinomish Tribe, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to develop an effective shot-term solution to protect juvenile fish,” Col. Alexander Bullock, Army Corps of Engineers Seattle District Commander, said in a late May release.

“We identified appropriate funding and awarded a contract to implement the solution within weeks of the first observation of concern,” said Bullock. “This solution will minimize harm to Endangered Species Act-listed fish during the coming fish run. Protecting the viability of juvenile salmon is of paramount concern.”

Swinomish Tribal Senate Chair Steve Edwards, who visited the work site to monitor progress, expressed concern at the outset of repairs that over time the jetty has caused harm to salmon populations.

“Given the declines of Skagit River salmon,” he said, “every single fish matters to our community, to future generations. We are glad that the Army Corps is taking these short-term emergency actions, but the truth is we don’t know the actual extent of the problem or the harm it has caused.”

Edwards said the issue merits further study.

“We are committed to working with the Corps to take further interim actions,” he said, “and to continue studying whether parts or all of this jetty should be permanently removed.”

At the time of its construction, concerns were raised that the 6,000-foot jetty could adversely affect local salmon runs.

A 2008 report issued by the Skagit River System Cooperative stated that the jetty and its causeway have reduced the amount of low-salinity water critical to juvenile salmon for their adaptation to marine conditions during the early stages of seaward migration.

The report noted that in its more natural state the slough that connected Skagit and Padilla bays was historically a significant migrating corridor for juvenile Skagit River Chinook salmon.

For now, the status quo for maritime activity near the south entrance to Swinomish Channel has resumed. While jetty repairs were under way, vessels were required to remain at least 300 feet from the construction area and only authorized access to McGlinn Island was allowed.