Titlow Lagoon has been identified as a high priority area for estuarine restoration in South Puget Sound due to the critical habitat it once provided for fish and wildlife. Historically, Titlow Lagoon was relatively large ( > 5.5 acres), with extensive marsh and forested wetland habitat (> 25 acres). Currently the outlet to the lagoon is impounded by a 4-foot culvert through the BNSF railroad grade which greatly inhibits fish passage and tidal connection between the Lagoon and Puget Sound. Much of the historic lagoon and estuarine marsh has been filled, and the shoreline has had much of the native vegetation removed.

Even in its altered state Titlow Lagoon harbors many key nearshore habitats and processes necessary to support Puget Sound ecosystems: eelgrass and marine vegetation, shallow sloping beaches, feeder bluffs, forage fish spawning, protected estuarine shorelines, saltwater and freshwater wetlands, salt marsh and upland riparian vegetation.

The Titlow Lagoon is positioned along a highly impacted stretch of shoreline and many of the nearshore habitats around Titlow have been significantly altered or altogether destroyed. These habitat alterations afford young salmon little refuge, rearing or foraging habitat in a critical migration corridor through the Tacoma Narrows. A restored Titlow Lagoon would offer refuge for young salmon from larger predatory fish and a highly productive estuary to rest and feed in while migrating along southern Puget Sound shorelines. Replacement of the tidegate/culvert structure impeding fish passage and tidal exchange between the Titlow Lagoon and adjacent marine areas could restore this historically important shoreline feature for fish use, sediment transport and freshwater input to the marine system.

Puget Sound is one of the largest estuaries in the United States, and the diverse but highly threatened ecosystem it supports is the foundation for the economic and social identity of the region. Loss of natural shoreline habitats is a primary cause of species' population declines in Puget Sound. Restoration of nearshore habitats has been identified as a critical component in the recovery of the Puget Sound ecosystem. Public lands provide important opportunities for restoration projects as Puget Sound residents will ultimately make decisions on the fate of Puget Sound. Restoration actions at Titlow Lagoon will address both the ecological and the social aspects of broader Puget Sound restoration efforts in a coordinated, highly visible and biologically beneficial project.

The restoration of Titlow pocket estuary is consistent with the recommendations of the Nisqually salmon recovery planning process, the WRIA 10/12 Recovery Chapter and
three-year implementation list for the Puget Sound Recovery Plan, and the Puget Sound Partnership's Action Agenda to restore Puget Sound by 2020.

Project development and implementation goals include: 1). complete feasibility and design study that will lead to later work restoring ecological processes, structures, and functions; 2). engage the public in restoring the site through education, volunteerism, and outreach; 3). work with the BNSF Railway Company on project design and construction sequencing; 4). obtain grant funding for project development and construction; 5). obtain permits for construction work; and 6). construct the project in phases as necessary to meet BNSF and Metro Parks needs.