Sequalitchew Creek Restoration and Nisqually Wildlife Refuge

Our Partner

Nisqually Delta Association

California gravel mining company negotiates a settlement agreement with environmental groups that protects view shed of Wildlife refuge plus funding toward purchase to expand Nisqually Wildlife Refuge.

In 1994, a California gravel company proposed a large loading dock for their gravel operation in Dupont, Washington. A coalition of environmental organizations, including the Nisqually Delta Association and Tahoma Audubon, sued the company. We were concerned about the size of the commercial loading facility and the impacts it would have on the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge just a few miles away.

The resulting settlement agreement is a model for negotiations. It provided a long term mitigation plan to restore damaged wetlands in Dupont area and maintain the buffers around the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. The settlement included payment of $1.5 million. These funds were used along with matching funds from the Nisqually Tribe to buy Brown’s Farm. The farm was located on the east side of the Nisqually River adjacent to the wildlife refuge and was a significant addition.

Part of the agreement protected the hillside glacial moraines above Puget Sound from mining or housing development. This area has remained in its natural state to this day. The Weyerhaeuser Development Company, which developed the Northwest Landing real estate development in Dupont, also agreed not to develop the hillside and the moraines above the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. This was part of the negotiated settlement to preserve the original Fort Nisqually Hudson Bay Post, which was located on Dupont property.

Sequalitchew Creek is the stream that drains American Lake and flows through DuPont’s Northwest Landing development before it drops down the side of the glacial moraine into Puget Sound. The creek has been repeatedly altered in the last 100 years starting with the Hudson Bay Post, then later by an ammunition factory that owned the property prior to the gravel company. Northwest Landing built a trail along the creek to make easier bird watching at the wetlands.

After 20 years of removing gravel from the site, the mining company proposed expanding their operation. They wrote a second Environmental Impact Analysis, then negotiated a mitigation proposal with Nisqually Delta Association, TAS and other parties. The new gravel operation proposed lowering the water table in the gravel pit.

The planned mitigation called for altering the flow of the Sequalitchew Creek and using the water to improve degraded wetlands on the Northwest Landing property. It also has a provision for maintaining water in the creek for parts of the year. This creek is a salmon stream, but the steep incline prevents salmon from traveling far up stream above the estuary to spawn.

Not all gravel operators follow though on their mitigation plans or on the conditions in their Construction Permits. The gravel from this pit is loaded on a barge and is delivered by tugs, not trucks through city streets. This is another important factor that allows an industry of this nature to coexist with real estate developments, keeping impacts on the quality of life to a minimum.

The wetlands along Sequalitchew Creek are a favorite birding area at certain times of the year. The trails along the creek and the renewed wetlands provide a lovely retreat adjacent to the densely packed suburban development of Northwest Landing. Dupont’s Northwest Landing is one of the few towns in Pierce County where children can walk to their library and their schools using a trail system.

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