Private Sector Helps the State, Gets Credit For Project

(Starting to load the dumpsters with deteriorating floatation removed from local waters)

Does it seem little cleaner out on the water? It should, more than 1,000 sq. ft. of deteriorating floatation has been removed from the Port of Friday Harbor and Warbass areas. In an agreement with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, "mitigation points" were obtained with this removal. (Mitigation, a procedure used more commonly in wetland issues, is frequently part of a Shoreline Substantial Development permit that requires WDFW & United Sates Corps of Engineers (USACE) approval. The value of various activities to serve as mitigation depends on the type and location of the permit, and type and location of the improvement.

Pauli Gavora, of Gavora, Inc,. was able to receive permission to use these derelict floats as credit towards a project she is permitting. Les Soland of A-1 Marine Services, Inc. was hired to do the work of towing the floats to Jensens Shipyard, where he contracted to have them lifted from the water, smashed and stuffed into San Juan Sanitation dumpsters. Gavora's client will pay the bill, but gets the credit for making it happen.


(Close-up of one of the old floats: Creosote and loose foam)

Mr. Soland, who in the course of his work in marine towing and salvage, comes across many items floating in the water that shouldn't be, is thinking about establishing a "mitigation bank" in cooperation with Gavora Inc.

In simplified terms., Less will identify a project, Gavora Inc will get it assessed and assigned value by the WDFW, and USACE. If approved, A-1 Marine Services will remove the object, which will result in credit in the" bank".

As clients of Gavora's projects require mitigation, they will be able to acquire them from the bank by paying Mr. Soland for his cost of the removal work While the whole thing smells a little like extortion on the part of the State (since the project is permitable -and often in these marine situations, the client owns the tidelands), mitigation is an established process in wetland issues, and is now being applied to the marine environment.

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