Northwest March’s Point Beach Nourishment
The beach at Northwest March’s Point had large volumes of sediment removed following an oil spill years ago. This, coupled with the loss of sediment transport due to the adjacent boat ramp to the north, left the beach void of sand and gravel and dominated by large cobble and angular rock. This coarse sediment was unsuitable for forage fish spawning and harmful to salmon populations. The angular rock that had fallen onto the beach was restacked into the revetment and 2,230 tons of beach nourishment material suitable for surf smelt spawning habitat was added to the beach and graded to meet the natural profile. The project began on October 1, 2014, and was completed just five days later on October 6.
While the adjacent road created some constraints for the project including needing to maintain the armor and inability to add riparian vegetation, shortly after the beach nourishment was added, surf smelt eggs were found on the beach during surveys led by Salish Sea Steward citizen scientists!
COLLABORATORS: Restoring NW March’s Point was only made possible by collaboration between the SSA and Skagit Marine Resources Committee. Coastal Geologic Services provided engineering design and construction was completed by Carman’s Construction, LLC.
BEFORE AFTER
FUNDERS: Skagit Restoration Initiative (SRI) funds are designated for projects that restore the shoreline, nearshore, and marine resources of Fidalgo Bay or Padilla Bay. This project also received funding from the Department of Ecology Coastal Protection Fund and the Alcoa Foundation.