Presentation Abstract
What do beach, nearshore, and pocket estuary habitat all have in common? These habitats are part of a dynamic ecosystem of sediment exchange and in turn are important habitats for juvenile salmonids. The dioxin-contaminated old Custom Plywood Factory site in Fidalgo Bay in Anacortes, Washington was remediated in fall and winter 2013 in cooperation with the landowner and Department of Ecology. Approximately 70,000 cubic yards of contaminated sawdust and sediment was removed from the bay and disposed of at a proper disposal site. This was replaced by clean sediment on the beach and nearshore habitat. Additionally, a pocket estuary was created behind an earthen berm to replace the coastal lagoon habitat that had been damaged by a fire explosion at the plywood facility. An experimental technique of adding a thin layer to cap to contain contaminants in eel grass beds, while still allowing the eelgrass to thrive was also implemented. Preliminary results indicate that forage fish are able to spawn successfully on the new beach substrate and surf smelt and juvenile salmonids utilize the pocket estuary habitat. This innovative strategy to remediate and restore the contaminated nearshore and shoreline habitat in Fidalgo Bay resulted in a substantial lift to ecosystem functions. This lift in ecosystem services in turn has resulted in increased use of the site by juvenile salmonids and forage fish.
Session Title
Session S-04F: Advancing Sediment Remediation in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
Restoration
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 8:30 AM
End Date
1-5-2014 10:00 AM
Location
Room 602-603
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Salmon--Spawning--Washington (State)--Fidalgo Island; Fish populations--Washington (State)--Fidalgo Island; Hazardous waste site remediation--Washington (State)--Fidalgo Island; Estaurine restoration--Washington (State)--Fidalgo Island
Subjects – Names (LCNAF)
Custom Plywood
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Fidalgo Bay (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Remediation and Restoration of Beach, Pocket Estuary, and Nearshore Habitat For Increased salmon fisheries
Room 602-603
What do beach, nearshore, and pocket estuary habitat all have in common? These habitats are part of a dynamic ecosystem of sediment exchange and in turn are important habitats for juvenile salmonids. The dioxin-contaminated old Custom Plywood Factory site in Fidalgo Bay in Anacortes, Washington was remediated in fall and winter 2013 in cooperation with the landowner and Department of Ecology. Approximately 70,000 cubic yards of contaminated sawdust and sediment was removed from the bay and disposed of at a proper disposal site. This was replaced by clean sediment on the beach and nearshore habitat. Additionally, a pocket estuary was created behind an earthen berm to replace the coastal lagoon habitat that had been damaged by a fire explosion at the plywood facility. An experimental technique of adding a thin layer to cap to contain contaminants in eel grass beds, while still allowing the eelgrass to thrive was also implemented. Preliminary results indicate that forage fish are able to spawn successfully on the new beach substrate and surf smelt and juvenile salmonids utilize the pocket estuary habitat. This innovative strategy to remediate and restore the contaminated nearshore and shoreline habitat in Fidalgo Bay resulted in a substantial lift to ecosystem functions. This lift in ecosystem services in turn has resulted in increased use of the site by juvenile salmonids and forage fish.
