Stanwood begins emergency repairs on 100-year-old dike
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, August 4, 2026
EVERETT —Stanwood began emergency repairs Thursday on a damaged 5,000-foot section of the Skagit Bay Dike west of the city.
A January storm weakened the section of the 4-mile-long mound of dirt and grass that holds back Puget Sound from flooding 1,800 acres of farmland and downtown Stanwood.
Contractors began working Thursday after speeches from Mayor Sid Roberts, Snohomish County Council member Nate Nehring, Rep. Clyde Shavers, D-Oak Harbor, and U.S. Rep. Rick Larson, D-Everett, a press release said.
“Repairing and strengthening the Skagit Bay Dike will protect thousands of homes, businesses and neighbors during the next major flood, improve fish passage and restore acres of wildlife habitats,” Larson said in the press release.
Roberts has been working since he was first elected in 2022 to upgrade and reinforce the 100-year-old dike, built by different groups at different times throughout the late 1800s, he said in a June interview.
“Many people have spent years working behind the scenes to bring us to this moment, and some have championed this project for more than a decade,” Roberts said in the release. “From our local farmers and the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians to Snohomish County and our state and federal representatives, people came together to protect Stanwood, our farmland and the infrastructure our community depends on.”
The emergency repairs, expected to cost $1.75 million, were funded by federal American Rescue Plan Act money awarded through Snohomish County.
Stanwood plans to reinforce the entire structure to 12 feet wide and 14 feet high and has secured $8 million to do so over the next several years. The project also includes installing modern tide gates to improve fish passage and restore wildlife habitat.
Taylor Scott Richmond: 4258-339-3046; taylor.richmond@heraldnet.com; Bluesky: @btayokay.bsky.social
