Perrinville Watershed Advocate
The Natural Resources Committee welcomed Bill Lider, environmental engineer with over 20 years of experience in Snohomish County, as its March 20th speaker. Committee chair Joan Smith praised Bill for a recent Department of Ecology win at Paine Field over wetland protections. His current focus is Perrinville Creek and the dangerous insufficiency of its entry through inadequate, salmon-barring culverts beneath the BNSF railroad tracks and adjacent to two homes on Talbot Road in Edmonds. Bill detailed four major concerns: a 30-inch concrete pipe, a 42-inch ductile iron pipe, fish barrier flow splitters, and an undersized culvert. His images showed the corrosion and deteriorating conditions of the culverts and the sediment blocks at the splitter that cause flooding and bar fish from access to upstream. The splitters were designed to prevent flooding, especially to the two expensive homes nearby but have not proved successful. Talbot Road also experiences flooding.
Over decades, the City of Edmonds has attempted unsuccessful replacements and clearing of debris, and it even paid $900,000 for a consultant. The public works director has continued to downplay the responsibility of the city. A hearing examiner in 2025 struck down a Determination of Nonsignificance and required a new environmental impact statement. Bill expressed frustration that even with the railroad, the Tribes, the City, but above all the public, very little progress has occurred. Cost is the primary issue, especially now with the Edmonds City budget deficits. Bill pointed out that a bill SB 6154 introduced mitigations for another creek that would have done nothing to alleviate the problems for Perrinville Creek nor for Brown’s Bay, the point of entry of the creek into Puget Sound. Although the culverts are a block to salmon runs, Bill’s chief concern is that as the structures continue to fail, the weakening will undermine the rails and cause an accident. Be sure to go to the League’s YouTube
channel to see this powerful presentation!
Reports:
- Reasonable Forest Management – At the membership meeting, Kate Lunceford invited members to help with clean up at Hooven Forest, a legacy forest near Woodinville. Check the website for other upcoming events.
- Sierra Club – Nancy Johnson sent a written report that Joan e-mailed to members. They will be going to Hooven Forest as well.
- Pilchuck Audubon – Joan forwarded a request to members for weed work at 95 Pine St. in Edmonds, Edmonds Wildlife Habitat and Native Plant Demonstration Garden.
- Edmonds Marsh Advocates – Marjie Fields reported that they have discovered a huge need for education within the community about the unique attributes and environmental importance of the Marsh.
ON YOUR BOOKSHELF: The
Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Willkerson, traces history and geography of the mass migration of Blacks from the South to the North and West in the early part of the 20th Century.
NEXT MEETING: April 17th, 10:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. by Zoom. Tom Campbell, designer of Clearwater Commons, will come to share what green building projects are taking place in our county.