A message from the President of the DERT Board of Directors

Last October, in its final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), the Department of Enterprise Services (DES) announced that removal of the Fifth Avenue Dam and restoration of the Deschutes River and Estuary was its preferred alternative to address numerous environmental and health issues resulting from Capitol Lake. The next steps envisioned by DES included planning, design, and permitting for estuary restoration. The Governor included roughly $17 million in the capital budget he submitted to the Legislature in December for the work outlined by DES.

One of the most common questions I get asked is what the status is of the next steps in the DES process. At the moment, the Legislature is considering the full capital budget, which includes the $17 million for Deschutes Estuary work. Once the Legislature has provided the necessary funding, DES will resume its activities in the Deschutes Estuary. It currently plans to promptly hire a project manager and move into the next phase of the project, which DES believes will take three to four years. Part of that process will include stakeholder engagement and public input.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee at its March 22 meeting passed a draft capital budget that did not include the money requested by the Governor and DES. Evidently it “got lost” in the many, many funding requests. However, the budget will now be reviewed and possibly amended by the full Senate, and then reviewed and amended by the House of Representatives. The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn on April 23. Final action on a state budget typically is one of the last bills that the Legislature considers. 

DES will continue to push the Legislature to include the $17 million for next steps towards Estuary restoration, but WE NEED YOUR HELP. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATIVES and URGE THEM TO RESTORE THE $17 MILLION FUNDING REQUEST IN THE CAPITAL BUDGET! We’ve gotten too far, after 14 years of struggle, to let this money issue block the Estuary restoration. The EIS demonstrated that dam removal is the right thing to do for cultural, legal, historical, environmental, and economic reasons. WE NEED TO MAKE IT HAPPEN!

DERT has been in contact with DES and will continue to monitor the project. As always, DERT plans to ensure that the public is involved in the restoration process, including decisions on what the restored estuary should include. While the Legislature is still considering the DES request, supporters of estuary restoration should make it a priority to contact their representatives in Olympia and insist that the Governor’s request–supported by all the local governments in Thurston County, the Squaxin Tribe, and many other organizations like DERT–IS A PRIORITY, and needs to be enacted. 

Thank you. 

Dave Monthie

President of the DERT Board of Directors