The City of Edmonds and the Edmonds Marsh Estuary Advocates (volunteers) are pleased to announce the completion of preliminary evaluations supporting the restoration of the Edmonds Marsh estuary. This work was funded by the National Coastal Resiliency Fund (NCRF). The City also applied for the next grant to prepare a 30% design for restoration of the estuary.
The study gave a clearer understanding of how water moves through the Marsh and onto Dayton Street during floods. It shows how water will move through the Marsh should a surface connection to Puget Sound be restored, and how these flows may be affected by sea level rise, freshwater flooding, and different restoration approaches.
The evaluations clarify the risks that future owners of the Unocal property may face from remaining contamination, and how they can be minimized. A third component of the grant outlines a framework for community planning for the next phases of this long-term project.
The grant application was drafted by Edmonds Marsh Estuary Advocates volunteers (affectionately called the Marshians) and submitted by the City in June of 2023. Edmonds was one of only 109 projects in the U.S. selected to be funded by this prestigious funding source, which is managed by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and NOAA.
The total project cost was $226,000, funded 60% by the NCRF grant, 25% through contributions from community members (volunteer hours and financial donations), and 15% provided in-kind by the City for grant administration. The technical analysis was managed by Blue Coast Engineering, one of Puget Sound’s premier coastal restoration consulting firms. To learn more, visit the Edmonds Marsh Estuary Advocates website, where you’ll find a summary of the technical report findings. Questions are also welcome and can be submitted via this link.
This successful partnership has paved the way for a new NCRF grant application to support the next phase of the project. The proposal advanced through the highly competitive pre-proposal stage, and the team has been invited to submit a full application.
If approved for funding, the project will complete a public process to develop a 30% design for restoration of the estuary by excavating a portion of the Unocal site and opening a channel connecting the marsh to Puget Sound. It will also identify coastal flood risks and vulnerability, prepare a land appraisal and cultural resources site study, estimate restoration costs, and outline a plan for future project funding.
This project supports the ultimate goal of restoring the Edmonds Marsh Estuary and protecting both the built and natural assets of the Edmonds waterfront, which are long-standing community priorities. The next steps include settling future ownership of the Unocal site, securing funding, finalizing project design and permitting, construction implementation, and monitoring of restoration outcomes. The long-term result will be a resilient estuary that safeguards Edmonds’ shoreline while providing ecological, cultural, and community benefits for generations to come.