It’s been a little over four months since the Doe-Kag-Wats Estuary got sloshed with some 4,800 gallons of oil. The spill came from all the way across the Puget Sound to our doorstep and pretty much ruined what many said was one of the last pristine beaches in the area.

Folks can’t make that claim anymore but thanks to an exhaustive clean-up effort, the site is looking better. It really had to because it sure wasn’t going to get much worse.

While this shows hope for such disaster areas, it also shows that an accident occurring in another county, across a large body of water can have a huge impact on our shoreline. The waters of Hood Canal are far from enjoying the health of those of Port Madison and Indianola.

Bottom feeders are distressed to the point that lingcod and halibut fishing was recently restricted. Low-oxygen levels are becoming more and more prevalent and “dead zones” are entering discussions more and more when the topic of the canal is raised.

The hammer on the environment has been falling for a long time, smashing through layers that took millions of years to create and just a handful to destroy.

As Fred Hill Materials moves closer to the possibility of adding a pit-to-pier gravel operation in Jefferson County, we’re sure officials there have done their homework on the environment. The operation seems flawless to some, who say its impact will actually be less than that of additional trucks on the road. The chance of a catastrophe is rare, they tell us.

Not rare enough around here. As the scar at Indianola continues to heal, we sincerely hope a valuable lesson has been learned. And even more so, that this lesson won’t have to be learned in North Kitsap yet again.