Ecology announces 60% design for Deschutes Estuary restoration; $7.2M in governor’s budget request

The Washington State Department of Ecology announced on its virtual public briefing that the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project has reached the 60% design milestone and outlined next steps for permitting, funding and construction.

"I'm Babak Talabi. I'm the southwest region director here at the Washington State Department of Ecology and also the project director for the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project," Talabi told participants and said the governor included $7,200,000 in his proposed budget to advance the work.

Why it matters: The project aims to reopen the dammed Capitol Lake to tidal flows, restore roughly 260 acres of estuarine and salt‑marsh habitat along two miles of shoreline in south Puget Sound, and improve flood resilience and fish passage in downtown Olympia. Officials said progress to 60% design makes the plan suitable for further permitting and for seeking construction funding, but work including construction start dates remains contingent on the legislature and supplemental budget decisions.

Key facts and proposed work: Lynn Turner, the design lead, summarized the core engineering elements. "So we need to dredge 700,000 cubic yards of accumulated sediment that's been deposited over time to be able to reestablish the…