This column represents my opinion and is not necessarily the opinion of SFEG. I am very disappointed by a recent decision made by the Skagit County Commissioners regarding a project at McElroy Slough in Blanchard. The project would have replaced a simple flapper tide gate with a self regulating tide gate (SRT). This SRT would allow salt water to move for a short distance up Colony Creek and replace a choked fresh water environment with a more natural salt water one and recreate much needed estuary habitat. It would also allow salmon to more easily move up into the Colony-Harrison Creek complex.

This organization has put an enormous amount of time and money into the planning of this project. It is probably the most researched project I have been involved in with this group. There are four ground water monitoring wells placed in the area. In excess of $80,000 has already been spent on water quality testing, engineering and modeling data. To make this project more unique, it was started by a former resident of Blanchard and embraced by the town. At the last moment, the commissioners were lobbied by a group of people outside the area of impact with outdated or just faulty information.

One of the main reasons the project has been derailed is the county's installation of a self-regulating tide gate in Edison Slough in the town of Edison. This was a most ill-conceived project with no research done prior to installation. Everyone I have talked to has criticized this project. I am at a loss as to why it was put there in the first place. I can find no record of any runs of fish going up Edison Slough.

Self-regulating tide gates can be used very successfully in specific situations and McElroy Slough is one of them. Surely no one is proposing to install an SRT on every outlet to the bay. Virtually no agricultural land will be impacted by this project. SFEG would in no way be involved with a project that it knows will be detrimental to the people living in the area. We are well aware of the necessity to have good drainage in the low areas used for agriculture. For a decade we have worked with landowners doing things they wanted done and hopefully an atmosphere of trust has been built.

As it stands, the county is taking over lead in this project and changing the scope of work in such a manner that most of the partners in the original plan are not able to participate. In addition, all new permits will have to be obtained because of this change in scope. The grant money that SFEG obtained will expire in 2004, so I am very doubtful this project will ever be completed. As I said in the beginning, I am so very disappointed because this was a very good project.