The long-anticipated restoration of Whiteman Cove is about to begin. To mark the completion of years-long negotiations between the DNR, YMCA and Squaxin Island Tribe, Camp Colman hosted a tour of the property about to undergo immense change.
An entourage of state, tribal and local leaders met at the north end of Whiteman Cove June 28 between Joemma Beach State Park and Camp Colman where restoration construction will begin.
“The lagoon that we have today actually was an estuary before,” said Josh Sutton, facilities executive for the YMCA.
Whiteman Cove was impounded by the state in 1962 in the belief it would be a good salmon habitat, separating it from Case Inlet with a berm extending the natural spit with a tide gate to allow water passage. But the result was a lagoon retaining water either too turbid or too warm for young salmon to survive, and the project was abandoned. In 1966 the YMCA opened Camp Colman and began using the newly established lagoon for swimming and boating.
In his opening remarks, Squaxin Island Tribal Council Chairman Kris Peters said “Ten thousand years ago, when the glaciers receded, our people started to settle here, as did the salmon. We have lived here in unison for so long. We have watched it die off in the last 150 years. The holistic approach we have to take is to overcome that — climate change, acidification of the oceans, pollution, all these things — including fish barriers. Because their natural habitat, where they go to spawn and feed, is so important for survival.”
The plan to restore the lagoon to a tidal estuary calls for a 100-foot-wide passage to be excavated at the same location as the historical channel, spanned by a new bridge just north of the current roadway, Bay Road SW. Two large metal culverts and the long inoperable tide gate will be demolished.
Though Whiteman Cove was not a spawning area, estuaries are vital habitats for juvenile fish, according to DNR. Without them, juveniles are exposed to forces beyond their swimming abilities and high predatory pressure from lack of shelter. Returning the cove to an estuary, with the accompanying regular tidal exchange, will also eliminate seasonal high coliform bacteria levels that exceed state water quality contact recreational criteria.
The state legislature allocated $9,000,000 for the project in its 2024-25 budget for the work, including $6,937,000 for construction and $2,140,000 for Camp Colman reconfigurations.
Stakes mark the area for the new road and 120-foot bridge that will lead to Camp Colman. “They will take the existing berm out and dig it deeper so that it flows all the way out,” Sutton said. “It’s built that way to make sure that when the tides are going in and out the juvenile salmon will be able to make it over the ridge, so they can go back and forth.” The outflow is expected to become a more natural meander over time.
“We’ve been working tirelessly to remove all of our fish passage barriers,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz. “There are legal requirements but also our moral responsibilities to actually restore salmon habitat. This is a critical one, along with the 1,500 others we have improved and fixed. It’s not a small task to get the funding along with all the other challenges at the state level.”
In 2001, 21 Washington tribes won a lawsuit against Washington compelling the state to repair or replace all barriers to fish migration. The case landed at the U.S. District Court in 2013, where the court ordered the state to increase the rate of its salmon restoration projects and complete the replacement of state-owned culverts that adversely affect salmon migration by 2030. Attorney General Bob Ferguson appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. A split decision June 11, 2018, ended the 17-year-long legal battle. Since then, Washington has worked to dismantle blocked fish passages and restore over 1,500 salmon-supporting streams.
The Whiteman Cove project is the last and largest project related to the ruling.
The YMCA of Greater Seattle, which owns Camp Colman, resisted the restoration. It considered the lagoon integral to its longstanding programs for swimming and water safety.
“We will have to figure out how we will be able to teach water safety,” said Courtney Whitaker, YMCA vice president of youth development. “The current situation is not ideal for everyone.”
The changes coming to the lagoon as it transitions to a natural estuary state will affect the camp facilities and homeowners on the shore of the estuary. Instead of a lagoon, the cove will fill and drain with saltwater at different levels every day.
Multiple attempts by KP News to reach Whiteman Cove homeowners for comment were unsuccessful.
“During low tides in Case Inlet, the water level in the cove would drop approximately 6 feet below the current water level. This would result in tidal exchange and water in the cove 70-75% of the time and water depth at the current elevation 30% of the time,”according to the DNR. The shoreline will also change as estuary plants expand and thrive, creating conditions optimal for juvenile salmon to thrive.
In response to these changes, the YMCA is planning to build an Environmental Education Center, an Estuary Trail, boat storage, an Aquatic Center, a campfire bowl area and five new camper cabins.
“The lagoon will go from the Y’s biggest recreational opportunity to its largest educational opportunity; we are very excited about that,” Sutton said.
Gathering the construction equipment began in July, but “The target date for breaching the dam is January, optimal time for fish restoration. The fish window is January, and that is when the big stuff happens.”
The “fish window” is a limited time frame determined by the Department of Fish and Wildlife when working in the water will be least disruptive to aquatic life. It is not the same at every fish passage job.
Hanna Blackstock, project manager for the DNR, said, “I have been involved in this project for almost two years now. It’s been a long time coming, we’ve put a lot of time into building relationships with the Y, and it feels like we finally hit a good point where we are working closely together. We have a vision of what it’s going to look like, and we are finally about to execute it.”
Squaxin Tribal Council Chairman Peters said, “Even though there is potential conflict, we’ve always felt that coming together is the best way to overcome things. One hundred fifty to 200 years of removal from our land does not remove our connection spiritually from these waters and this land.
“We needed these partnerships to overcome all these things. It is going to be a sacred thing to see salmon come back here.”
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