This project is for the development of final design and pre-restoration monitoring for a bridge replacement at the mouth of the Deer Harbor Estuary. It will improve the habitat in the estuary for salmon rearing, foraging and spawning, as well as shellfish repopulation.

The Deer Harbor Estuary is the largest estuary on Orcas Island. Starting in the 1860's, deforestation changed the ecology in the watershed marking the start of habitat loss. Even so, in the mid 20th Century, the estuary still supported a chum and coho salmon run as well as native oyster beds.

Today, shellfish populations in the estuary have disappeared, salmon rearing and spawning habitats in the tributaries have been lost, and salmon foraging habitats in the estuary are degraded.

The 1970 replacement of the Deer Harbor Bridge on Channel Road has had one of the most significant single impacts on the estuary ecology. The bridge abutments constrict flow in and out of the estuary and an artificial sill under the bridge alters the sediment dynamics and tidal flow patterns.

The Deer Harbor Bridge is nearing the end of its useful life and must be replaced within 3 years. San Juan County Public Works Department is responsible for replacing the bridge. It is possible to permit and construct an in-kind replacement, based on conversations with Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.

To improve the tidal processes in the estuary and restore habitat, however, will require a longer span bridge. This 'improved' bridge will require extensive planning, permitting, and construction staging making it more expensive and complicated, albeit environmentally superior.

We are looking for grant money to fund the cost difference between design of an 'in-kind' bridge and an 'improved' bridge. It will include construction plans, specifications, and permits making the project bid or 'shovel' ready. In the meantime, project partner People For Puget Sound has been working on pre-restoration monitoring and has overseen completion of sediment transport and hydaulic modeling to predict the potential impact of 3 bridge width alternatives on tidal flow and the movement of sediment in Cayou Lagoon.