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Council ratifies emergency declaration to repair Skagit Bay dike after winter damage
Summary
The Stanwood City Council ratified a mayoral emergency declaration to begin summer repairs on a damaged section of the Skagit Bay (District 7) dike, citing immediate failure risk; staff said funding from Snohomish County and phased mitigation will be used while federal permits are pursued.
Stanwood — The City Council on May 28 ratified an emergency declaration aimed at repairing erosion damage to the Skagit Bay (District 7) dike after a wind and king-tide event damaged sections of the levee.
City engineer Alan Litton told the council the city plans a two-phase approach: immediate, targeted emergency repairs this summer to sections at risk of imminent failure, followed by broader setback and mitigation work once federal permits are obtained. “We applied for those permits last July… we were basically looking at 1 to 3 years as the guidance,” Litton said, describing the decision to split the project so the city can begin repairs sooner.
Litton said the emergency repair will impact about 3 acres of wetland where the levee will be widened, and that the project as planned will create roughly 12 acres of new wetland mitigation. He described the repair section as being made more uniform—“provide a uniform width of 12 feet across the levee and a uniform height”—and said the work will be done so the repaired section will match the design the city would build with full permits. “We were awarded $1,750,000 from Snohomish County,” Litton said, naming the primary available local funds to begin work.
Councilors asked how much the repairs would reduce risk and when work could start; Litton said the intent is to have a contract in hand and begin work in July, with the emergency repairs making the 0.75-mile section materially safer until the full project can be completed. The council approved a resolution ratifying the mayor’s declaration to expedite permitting and procurement for the emergency repairs.
Next steps: staff will begin procurement and coordinate required permits with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Ecology and Department of Fish and Wildlife while starting the emergency repairs this summer.
