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Restoration of salmon habitat at Whiteman Cove is set to begin in 2024, following a $6.9 million appropriation in the state capital budget.

The project, led by the Washington Department of Natural Resources, will restore the cove's historical channel, putting the cove under full tidal influence for the first time in six decades.

YMCA Camp Colman has been wrestling with the impacts to its camp programs. DNR Project Manager Birdie Davenport said that 90% of the design has been completed. DNR aims to put out a request for proposals by the end of the year. The plan consists of a 100-foot-wide channel in the same location as the historical channel spanned by a concrete bridge with precast girders. The new bridge will be just north of the current roadway, allowing the road to curve more gently with better lines of sight.

DNR aims to do the work in late 2024 after Camp Colman's summer season ends.

Outdated water control structures will also be removed, including two large metal culverts, both failing, that were installed to allow water from Case Inlet into the cove. Following partial excavation on the Case Inlet side, the culvert pipes will be cut off. The remaining section will be filled with concrete before being buried when the beach is restored. A tide gate, originally meant to control water level in the cove and currently inoperable, will also be demolished.

To read more from this article, visit: https://keypennews.org/stories/whiteman-cove-restoration-set-to-begin-in-2024after-years-of-study-debate-and-resistance,7141