Vigor NRD Salmon Habitat

The $40M Vigor Salmon Habitat project is being implemented to settle Natural Resources Damages Assessment (NRDA) claims associated with historical releases of contamination to Elliott Bay and the Lower Duwamish River from the Vigor property. KPFF has worked closely with the Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources, as well as the Army Corps of Engineers, from project conceptualization to the habitat design to aid in a streamlined permitting process. The purpose of this project is to create new shallow in-water habitat for juvenile salmonids where the Lower Duwamish River meets Elliott Bay, as a condition of a Natural Recourses Damages (NRD) settlement. The project includes engineering design and construction management for the demolition of existing dilapidated overwater structures, reconstruction of two piers, and reconfiguration of 12 acres of Vigor’s shipyard. In addition to the upland and over-water work, the project includes in-water construction (dredging, in-water fill, and slope protection) to create a 2.7 acre marine marsh habitat off-channel from the West Waterway salmon migration corridor. Design includes over 45,000 cubic yards of clean dredge material for beneficial re-use to create the new habitat and over 6,000 cubic yards of contaminated dredge material for off-site disposal. More than 30,000 tons of riprap slope protection will be utilized to establish a protective zone for the habitat. Once completed, the sub-tidal, intertidal, and riparian habitat will both benefit and improve the existing, degraded habitat in this industrially zoned, yet ecologically vital area.

Project Update – May 2023

The habitat project was recently completed and the target audience approves!
View Juvenile Salmon in their New Habitat