Government
Port of Olympia returns to Deschutes Estuary resolution Tuesday after commissioners voiced concerns
Port commissioners are set to revisit a nonbinding resolution backing the state's funding push for the $400 million-plus Deschutes Estuary restoration on Oct. 13. At their last meeting, they criticized communication from the Department of Ecology and worried about Budd Inlet cleanup timing.
The Port of Olympia Commission is scheduled to take up a resolution on the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project again at its 4 p.m. meeting Tuesday, Oct. 13, at Percival Plaza (Olympics Room, 626 Columbia St. NW, Suite 1-B), after commissioners held off at their Sept. 28 meeting, The JOLT News reported.
What's on the table. The resolution is listed as an action item on the meeting agenda, presented by Executive Director Alex Smith. Port staff recommend adopting it with two port-specific edits: one recognizing Budd Inlet cleanup as a prerequisite, and one clarifying Ecology's role. The agenda also includes a briefing on the project from Ecology. The nonbinding resolution would express the port's support for the Washington State Department of Ecology as it seeks state and federal money for the project. Ecology took over management from the Department of Enterprise Services in 2025. Total costs are estimated to exceed $400 million, according to Port Executive Director Alex Smith.
The project would remove the 5th Avenue Dam and restore 260 acres of estuary and salt-marsh habitat. A 2022 environmental impact statement found restoring the estuary was the best long-term fix for Capitol Lake's water quality violations, sediment buildup and invasive species.
The port's stake. Under a 2024 interlocal agreement with Thurston County, Olympia, Tumwater and the Squaxin Island Tribe, partners commit to fund dredging of Budd Inlet every 12 years through 2050. The port's annual payment would start at $207,000 and rise to more than $500,000 by 2050. Smith said payments would begin once construction funding is secured, which partners hope to achieve by the end of 2027.
Concerns. Commissioner Jasmine Vasavada said the project has moved forward with little input from the port. "I am not very pleased with sort of how little I've heard of what's happening in that group," she said. She noted the resolution doesn't mention the Budd Inlet remediation, and that staff were told there was no room for changes.
Commissioner Joel Hansen pointed out that Budd Inlet cleanup — a prerequisite to removing the dam — hasn't been fully designed. "I feel like we're going to open that dam and get punched in the face," he said.
