Little Squalicum Estuary

The Little Squalicum Estuary project helps address the need for additional estuarine habitat in Bellingham Bay. Completed in 2024, the project restores 4.85 total acres of coastal habitat including a 2.4-acre estuary. The project also removed a fish passage barrier at the mouth of Little Squalicum Creek, just two miles east of the Nooksack River Delta in Little Squalicum Park.

This project restores tidal and sedimentary processes, improves fish passage, and returns saltmarsh, mudflat and estuary habitats to an area where historical wetlands have been lost. Over the past 150 years, Bellingham Bay has lost an estimated 282 acres of aquatic land as the result of historical dredging, filling, and shoreline modification activities, drastically reducing rearing habitat available to local salmonid populations. Due to an increasingly urbanized shoreline with competing uses such as marinas, industry, and railways, the WRIA 1 Nearshore and Estuarine Assessment and Restoration Plan identified Little Squalicum as one of the last remaining locations available for estuary habitat expansion in WRIA 1.

Aerial view of estuary with water in it with a railroad trestle going over it — *July 2024 – Aerial photo of the completed estuary. Photo by BTV – City of Bellingham.*

More Information

Project elements included removing 50 linear feet of shoreline barrier, installing 1.2 acres of saltmarsh and riparian plantings, and enhancing 1.16 acres of forage fish spawning habitat. As part of the estuary excavation, the project improves water quality by removing and disposing of approximately 8,000 CY of contaminated material. All of the trails in Little Squalicum Park were shifted west to accommodate the estuary footprint, and a new trail network was installed along with the new pedestrian bridge at the estuary mouth.

The estuary provides juvenile rearing, refuge, foraging, and osmoregulatory habitats for multiple salmonid species including our target species: ESA-listed Puget Sound Chinook. Other priority species supported by this project include steelhead, coho, and southern resident killer whales.

The Little Squalicum Estuary project was prioritized by the community during the Little Squalicum Park Master Planning process facilitated by Bellingham Parks in 2009 and 2010. The planning process involved substantial community input including guidance from a Stakeholder Advisory Team comprised of various private and public stakeholders and related subject area experts. Construction of the project began in 2022 and was completed in spring 2024. To find out more about construction, visit the Little Squalicum Estuary capital project page.

Footage captured by the City’s BTV crew shows water entering the estuary for the first time. September 11, 2023.

Aerial view of an estuary full of water on a sunny day — July 2024 – Aerial of estuary showing plant growth at site. Photo by BTV – City of Bellingham

Aerial view of estuary, a large body of water with a trail next to it. — July 2024 – Aerial of estuary showing plant growth at site. Photo by BTV – City of Bellingham

2024 Public Works Project of the Year Award

In July 2024, the Little Squalicum Estuary project won the American Public Works Association (APWA)’s 2024 Public Works Project of the Year Award for the $5-$25 million category. This annual award recognizes publicly developed, owned, and maintained infrastructure projects that promote excellence in construction management and administration. This award is the culmination of a 14-year team effort to design, fund, permit, and construct a rare habitat along the shores of Bellingham Bay.

2024 Engineering Excellence Award

In February 2024, the Little Squalicum Estuary project received the 2024 Engineering Excellence Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). This esteemed award, given annually to projects demonstrating exceptional innovation and complexity, highlights the dedication and expertise poured into restoring this essential coastal habitat. The award specifically recognizes the unprecedented complexity involved in navigating various challenges, including securing funding, site cleanup, land acquisition, permitting, and construction.

A contract for the construction of this project was awarded to Glacier Environmental Services in May 2022. The total cost of the project was $6,166,398. Funding for this project came from:

City of Bellingham
Greenways Levy
Washington Department of Ecology Centennial Clean Water Program
Washington Department of Ecology One-Time Grant Program
Washington State Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account Grant Program
Washington State Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program
US Fish and Wildlife Service National Coastal Wetland Conservation Grant Program
Port of Bellingham
Whatcom County
Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA)

This project would not be possible without the partnership of landowners within the project area: Lehigh Northwest Cement Company, Port of Bellingham, Whatcom County, and BNSF.