Skokomish River Channel & Estuary Restoration

Project Overview

The Skokomish River, which flows into the southern tip of Hood Canal, has been severely altered by two major human interventions: the Cushman Hydroelectric Project, which blocks access to approximately 60 miles of the river's upper watershed spawning habitat, and a 20th-century channelization and diking project that disconnected the lower river from its natural floodplain. Together, these alterations have contributed to some of the lowest Chinook and chum salmon escapement levels in the entire Hood Canal system.

The Skokomish Tribe has led a multi-decade effort to restore the lower river and its estuary. Beginning in 2002, the Tribe partnered with Mason County, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and WDFW to remove or breach dikes, re-establish side-channel connectivity, and replant native riparian vegetation across hundreds of acres of former floodplain. Restored side channels provide lower-velocity, warmer refugia for juvenile salmon and reduce the river's tendency to flood agricultural land through natural storage capacity.

The Tribe has also been a persistent advocate for improved flow releases from the Cushman Dams, which are operated by Tacoma Power under a federal license. Negotiations over license renewal requirements have been ongoing for years, with the Tribe seeking minimum flows and fish passage facilities that would restore access to upper watershed habitat. The combined habitat restoration and flow advocacy work represents one of the most comprehensive salmon recovery efforts on the Hood Canal.