Shoreline Restoration in the San Juans

Creosote Inventory

Map showing the inventoried creosote pile locations (red dots) and sensitive nearshore habitats, including forage fish spawning habitat, eelgrass, and kelp.

In June 2024 Environmental Stewardship's Marine Program completed a countywide inventory of creosote pilings. The study provided the County with updated information on the extent and location of creosote remaining in the San Juan Islands. A total of 594 sites were surveyed across 26 islands in 2023 and 2024. A total of 8,076 pilings were assessed and 71.3% (5,850) of these were identified as wood pilings likely to have been treated with creosote, amounting to an estimated 7,344 tons of creosote in the County’s nearshore waters. The vast majority of surveyed sites were in private ownership of which 94.2% (n=414) were found to include creosote piles (n=5,309 piles).

In addition to identifying the locations and numbers of pilings the project also provided data on the extent to which creosote pilings overlapped with sensitive nearshore habitats, including eelgrass meadows and kelp, as well as proximity to forage fish spawning habitat. Creosote-treated wood pilings are a significant source of contamination to nearshore environments of the Salish Sea. As creosote leaches into the marine environment, it impacts forage fish spawning habitat, valuable eelgrass beds, and other nearshore habitats and species. Creosote vapors also pose a risk to human health. The removal of creosote from the nearshore environment is a priority of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, as well as the County.

Conservation Credits or mitigation

While the vast majority of creosote pilings remaining in the islands' nearshore waters are private, a number of the County’s public marine facilities still include creosote piles. The County has been steadily working to upgrade their marine facilities and as they do the creosote piles are replaced with steel piles. Any work to maintain, replace, or on occasion develop new facilities must address their impacts to the marine environment and this is done in the form of mitigation. NOAA Fisheries have created a calculator tool that allows project proponents to objectively estimate how many conservation offsets (or mitigation) they will be required to provide based on the type of project they are undertaking. Conservation offsets or credits can take the form of removing for example, creosote pilings, solid float decking, or shoreline armoring. This calculator tool has been created based on the best available habitat science, it takes into account the key biological and physical factors such as proximity of forage fish spawning habitat, presence of eelgrass, and presence of feed bluffs. This project allowed the County to estimate how many conservation credits are available through the County’s marine facilities and other shoreline properties that can be applied to future efforts to upgrade these public marine facilities, a lifeline to those living in our island communities.

Conclusion

This project completed a comprehensive countywide inventory of pilings and structures in the nearshore waters of San Juan County to determine the extent of creosote remaining, where it is, and its proximity to environmentally, economically, and culturally important habitats. The assessment included a review of the permitting requirements to remove or replace creosote structures and an assessment of the conservation credits available at each of the County’s 12 marine facilities where creosote piles remain.

Project Factsheet: Mitigating contamination to nearshore habitat from creosote pilings.

Project Report and mapbook: Final San Juan County Creosote Inventory Assessment Report and mapbook June 2024

Over the course of two and half days in mid-October, the remnants of the former La Farge gravel pit pier were removed. For many, this was a piece of history that was hard to see disappear, but the derelict pier had been crumbling for decades and the creosote piles were leaching toxins into the nearshore waters of Jackson Beach. Creosote-treated wood was a standard material used to build marine infrastructure but it created a generational impact on our sensitive marine environment.

This successful removal lays the first steps toward a restoration of the shoreline that will improve habitat for forage fish, vital food for salmon, sea birds, and marine mammals. For the community, the eastern end of Jackson Beach, is important as an active barge landing where San Juan County Public Works brings in needed road materials, and also where affordable housing units are occasionly brought in. In recent years, through an agreement with the Port of Friday Harbor, the beach has also become an important location for a kayak launch, helping to disperse kayak tours to different launch sites around the island. All this highlights the importance of the beach to the community and the local marine environment. For those that don't want this piece of island history forgotten fear not, interpretive signage telling the stories of this area are being planned.

Huge thanks to Quigg Brothers for a quick and smooth removal operation, and thanks also to the Northwest Straits Commission for securing the funding, and the Marine Resources Committee for deciding that this was the project to do!

Click into this update to see pictures of the removal operation.

On Wednesday this week, a barge will appear at Jackson Beach and begin the operation to remove all 117 of the creosote piles and remaining overwater structures that make up the derelict pier of the former gravel pit. The operation is being undertaken by Quigg Brothers out of Aberdeen Washington and is expected to take four days to complete.

San Juan County Environmental Stewardship staff and Marine Resources Committee members will be at the site throughout the operations to keep an eye out for marine mammals as well as provide information to the public. The beach will remain open to the public throughout the operation though the barge landing area may be temporarily restricted due to the barge activity to remove the piles. But beachgoers, kayakers, and other users of Jackson Beach will no longer have to contend with toxic creosote by the end of the week as we complete the long-sought project.

The public can report any creosote you find on the shoreline to WA Dept. Natural Resources using the MyCoast App

SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA August 30, 2023 – The San Juan County Marine Resources Committee (MRC) is working with the County’s Environmental Stewardship Marine Program to remove the derelict pier at Jackson Beach this fall. Construction is expected to begin in late September and last no more than a week.

What to Expect

During the removal, Jackson Beach will remain open and accessible to the public. Removal efforts will take place during regular working hours and include the use of a barge and crane. While the area will remain open for commercial operators, kayak tours are encouraged to launch from further south along the beach.

The derelict creosote pilings are the remains of the former gravel production operation which sourced gravel at what is now the LaFarge Open Space, located up from the beach. The remaining piles were the support structures for a barge pier which was used for loading gravel onto commercial barges for transport to other locations. The gravel pit operations ceased in in the 1990s and the property was donated as public land. The former gravel pit is now managed by the San Juan Parks and Recreation District while the shoreline parcel is owned by San Juan County Public Works. The removal of the piles will not impact any ongoing business operations.

Why it is important to remove creosote:

Creosote-treated wood pilings are a significant source of contamination to nearshore environments of the Salish Sea. As creosote leaches into the marine environment, it impacts forage fish spawning habitat, valuable eelgrass beds, and other nearshore habitats and species. Creosote vapors also pose a risk to human health. Removing creosote-treated material from the marine environment is a priority for the MRC and San Juan County.

Removing creosote pilings will:

• Remove a source of toxic hydrocarbon contamination to the nearshore environment,
• Improve water quality,
• Improve conditions for eelgrass habitat,
• Reduce toxins to forage fish,
• Protect and promote habitat for rearing juvenile salmon.

“It is great to see this project finally coming to fruition,” said Dr. Megan Dethier, Director of the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories, and former MRC member. “Creosote has been used to prevent fouling and decomposition of surfaces in the marine realm for hundreds of years, and it is an effective poison – but not one that we want remaining in our nearshore environment, especially for structures that aren’t even needed any longer!”

Project Background

The deconstruction and removal of the remaining pier structure is slated to occur before the end of October this year. This long-overdue project is possible thanks to a one-time grant of federal funds awarded by NOAA through the Northwest Straits Commission to the MRC.

“The federal funds prioritized by Senator Patty Murray, are being used by local MRCs across the region, including the derelict pier removal at Jackson Beach, as we collectively work towards improving the marine environment said Lucas Hart, Director of the Northwest Straits Commission. “The 7 local County-based MRCs, Northwest Straits Commission, and the Northwest Straits Foundation strive to empower local communities to be the leaders in protecting and restoring their marine environment, and local engagement is key to addressing the unique needs of each community,” said Hart.

The removal of the piles will result in a significant improvement to the beach which is popular with residents and visitors to the island. Forage fish have been documented to spawn at the beach and eelgrass beds lie to the east of the pilings. The removal will benefit these important habitats and species, that are also vital to endangered salmon and Orca.

“Ensuring clean and healthy marine waters is essential to our marine wildlife species and habitats, and especially for the recovery of endangered species” commented Christina Koons, Chair of the MRC and Orcas Island resident, “A vibrant marine ecosystem is also essential to the well-being of our island communities, as well as the regional economy.”

Get Involved

The MRC and San Juan County also encourage you to report any creosote you find on the shoreline to WA Dept. Natural Resources using the MyCoast App. You can download the app from your app store or from the mycoast.org website and report large marine debris, creosote, king tides, and storm surge events.

This project is being undertaken using Federal funds under award NA22NMF4690358 from NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce. To find more information about this project and other creosote removal projects being undertaken by the County, check out the Engage page dedicated to shoreline restoration work. (www.sjcmrc/projects).

Contact: Frances Robertson, Marine Project Manager, francesr@sanjuanco.com

About San Juan County’s Department of Environmental Stewardship

San Juan County’s Department of Environmental Stewardship is responsible for solid waste, marine resources, clean water, cultural resources, and climate and sustainability work. The department offices are located at 1609 Beaverton Valley Road, Friday Harbor, WA 98250. For more information about San Juan County’s Department of Environmental Stewardship, visit www.sanjuanco.com/839/Environmental-Stewardship.

By early October 2022, the shoreline around the Mackaye Harbor boat launch on Lopez Island looked very different to a few short weeks before. The project saw large boulders, rock, and other debris removed and the newly uncovered beach nourished with a mixture of sand and gravel. This restoration effort was to restore the beach to support a healthy spawning habitat for surf smelt and sand lance - two key feeder fish for endangered Chinook salmon. The last part of the project is to design and install interpretive signage to share the stories of Mackaye Harbor for the historical fishing industry, the importance of the bay for regional Coast Salish tribes that have used the islands since time immemorial, and also about the connections of the marine ecosystem to the shoreline here.

Check out the before and after photos below for the extent of the change.