Leque Island levees will be removed in effort to create salmon habitat

STANWOOD — The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has decided to remove most of the dikes around Leque Island, a slice of former farmland between Stanwood and Camano Island.

The 300-acre island is a popular spot for hunting and bird-watching. It’s surrounded by levees built more than a century ago to protect crops. Many of the levees are failing. Removing them will let saltwater flood the area during high tides and hopefully create habitat for salmon, according to the department.

Officials started looking at options for either removing or repairing Leque Island’s levees in the early 2000s, and the Salmon Recovery Funding Board supported the effort with grants in 2004 and 2007. A plan that would have removed levees around half the island and repaired the rest was in the works in 2005 when concerns about saltwater intrusion into a Camano Island aquifer stalled the project.

The Environmental Protection Agency ruled that removing the levees doesn’t pose a threat to the freshwater aquifer, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife returned to the project in 2013. Planners formed a 31-member volunteer advisory committee and held public meetings to gather questions, concerns and suggestions. The committee had representatives from groups that have repeatedly opposed removing dikes around the island. Opponents include the Washington Waterfowl Association and Camano Water Systems Association.

The advisory committee narrowed the list of possibilities for Leque Island to six designs. Among the options were leaving the failing levees alone, rebuilding them, removing them or breaching them in select spots.

“Now we have our preferred option to move forward with, but that’s at a conceptual level,” project coordinator Loren Brokaw said. “It removes the majority of the levees but leaves a linear stretch.”

The design is considered a full restoration of the island, allowing saltwater to flood almost all of it during high tides. A stretch of levee on the east side of the island, along the Stillaguamish River, would be repaired rather than removed under the current plan, but that may change if more detailed design work suggests that levee should be removed, as well, according to an analysis and design report.

More studies are needed of the soils, water flow, topography and tides before a final design is put together, Brokaw said. Then permitting could take up to a year.

At the earliest, work will start on removing the dikes in summer 2017, he said. The initial cost estimate for the project is $3 million, but that’s a very rough calculation, Brokaw said. It’s one of the least expensive options the department considered. Cost estimates for the six alternatives ranged from $2 million to $11 million.

In the coming months, the Department of Fish and Wildlife plans to seek ideas from the public on possible recreation features for the island once the levees are removed. There could be elevated trails and boardwalks, hunting and photography blinds and information kiosks, according to the report.

The department plans to form another volunteer advisory committee for the recreation features, similar to the one they brought together for the levee removal decision. For more information, people can visit www.wdfw.wa.gov.

“We’re not sure yet what is most feasible and what the expense would be,” Brokaw said. “There will still be lots of things to see and do out there.”

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Police Cmdr. Scott King answers questions about the Flock Safety license plate camera system on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mountlake Terrace approves Flock camera system after public pushback

The council approved the $54,000 license plate camera system agreement by a vote of 5-2.

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen goes through an informational slideshow about the current budget situation in Edmonds during a roundtable event at the Edmonds Waterfront Center on Monday, April 7, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds mayor recommends $19M levy lid lift for November

The city’s biennial budget assumed a $6 million levy lid lift. The final levy amount is up to the City Council.

A firefighting helicopter carries a bucket of water from a nearby river to the Bolt Creek Fire on Saturday, Sep. 10, 2022, on U.S. 2 near Index, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Snohomish County property owners can prepare for wildfire season

Clean your roofs, gutters and flammable material while completing a 5-foot-buffer around your house.

(City of Everett)
Everett’s possible new stadium has a possible price tag

City staff said a stadium could be built for $82 million, lower than previous estimates. Bonds and private investment would pay for most of it.

Jennifer Humelo, right, hugs Art Cass outside of Full Life Care Snohomish County on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘I’ll lose everything’: Snohomish County’s only adult day health center to close

Full Life Care in Everett, which supports adults with disabilities, will shut its doors July 19 due to state funding challenges.

Stolen car crashes into Everett Mexican restaurant

Contrary to social media rumors, unmarked police units had nothing to do with a raid by ICE agents.

Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. (Olivia Vanni/The Herald)
Providence Everett issues layoff notices to over 100 nursing assistants

The layoffs are part of a larger restructuring by Providence, affecting 600 positions across seven states, Providence announced Thursday.

Junelle Lewis, right, daughter Tamara Grigsby and son Jayden Hill sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” during Monroe’s Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 18, 2022. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Where to celebrate Juneteenth in Snohomish County this year

Celebrations last from Saturday to Thursday, and span Lynnwood, Edmonds, Monroe and Mountlake Terrace.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Lake Stevens in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Judge rules in favor of sewer district in Lake Stevens dispute

The city cannot assume the district earlier than agreed to in 2005, a Snohomish County Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday.

Herald staff photo by Michael O'Leary 070807
DREAMLINER - The first Boeing 787 is swarmed by the crowd attending the roll out of the plane in on July 8, 2007 at the Boeing assembly facility in Everett.
Boeing plane in Air India crash was built in Everett

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the crash that killed more than 200 people was shipped from Everett to Air India in 2014.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.