In recent press, there’s been speculation over whether or not the shoaling of the Kingston marina and the Carpenter Creek Estuary Fish Passage project are related. There is a reasonable basis for looking into this matter, and it’s also important to do so.

1. After remaining stable for several decades, in six months the marina’s main channel has narrowed by half and, some places, two-thirds.

2. According to the Army Corps of Engineers: “The replacement of the restrictive culverts with larger openings will also allow for the fine sediment that has accumulated over the years to be transported out of the estuary into Appletree Cove and Puget Sound. … This will not occur quickly or instantaneously, but will take place over the course of many years.”

3. The projected dredging cost averages out at $2,000 per Kingston household, a cost may recur again over several years.

Mitigating a project’s impact to the natural or the human environment is a legitimate project expense.  That’s why I believe it’s important for Kingston to get independent, technical assessment of the situation, so that decisions affecting our community may be guided by the facts.

Walt Elliott
Kingston

Editor’s note: Walt Elliott is a member of the Kingston Port Commission and is chairman of the Kingston Ferry Advisory Committee. This letter reflects his own opinion and not necessarily that of the boards on which he serves.