OLYMPIA, Wash. The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners has thrown its support behind a sweeping plan to restore the Deschutes Estuary, as regional partners continue seeking the state and federal funding needed to begin construction, The Jolt News reports.
The board unanimously approved a resolution backing the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project during a business meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 20. The measure passed on the consent agenda, which packages multiple items into a single combined vote.
The project aims to restore 260 acres of estuarine and salt marsh habitat in South Puget Sound. The resolution describes it as "a transformative, once-in-generations opportunity to restore the Deschutes Estuary, improve the health of Budd Inlet and the Deschutes River watershed, and address long-standing water quality, habitat, sediment, and public access challenges" tied to the Capital Lake Basin.
The resolution also acknowledges that the Washington State Department of Ecology now manages the project, a role it took over from the Department of Enterprise Services in 2025. Total project costs have been estimated at more than $400 million.
Funding and governance are laid out in an interlocal agreement among the City of Olympia, City of Tumwater, LOTT Clean Water Alliance, Port of Olympia, Squaxin Island Tribe and Thurston County.
The Tumwater Public Works Committee recently backed a similar resolution, according to The Jolt News. The project would also remove and replace the Fifth Avenue Bridge and remove the dam, and it is currently in the design and permitting phase.
A Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the project is available for public review, and residents can submit comments through 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 9, The Jolt News reported.