WSDOT unveils $67 million project to restore salmon habitat in Cain Creek

A planned $67 million salmon habitat restoration project that will uncover parts of Cain Creek in downtown Blaine will result in the demolition of two Peace Portal Drive buildings. The project, which has a 2030 completion date, is in response to a court ordering the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to restore salmon habitats across the state.

Chris Damitio, assistant regional administrator for WSDOT, presented the plan to Blaine City Council during a study session before its regular meeting on November 12.

Damitio said in the mid-20th century, before increased development, Cain Creek flowed through a culvert under Peace Portal Drive that allowed fish to swim both upstream and downstream. Today, Cain Creek runs from the State Route 543 truck route to the BNSF Railway tracks at Marine Drive, where the creek flows into Semiahmoo Bay. The stream enters a culvert behind Edaleen Dairy on Peace Portal Drive and stays underground until reaching the bay. The stream runs about 25 feet below the roadway.

“We have seen development both to the east and west of Portal Way that has essentially covered up that culvert extending it quite a distance,” Damitio said.

WSDOT is planning to reroute and daylight part of Cain Creek east of I-5 that currently starts running under the Propack Inc. warehouse at 1124 Fir Avenue, which is between I-5 and State Route 543. Currently, the creek runs underground from the east side of Yew Avenue until it exits Propack. Once it exits Propack, it runs in a ditch line, goes in a culvert under I-5, and then flows like a regular creek on the west side of I-5 except for a few culverts, which aren’t owned by WSDOT, closer to downtown. The creek would be rerouted from under Propack and then run parallel to I-5 before reaching Edaleen Dairy.

WSDOT will daylight the stream where it currently goes into a culvert behind Edaleen Dairy, which would likely require a bridge to be built on Peace Portal Drive. The new creek alignment would run through the Que Onda building at 442 Peace Portal Drive and the Cole International building across the street at 441 Peace Portal Drive.

The creek would then go into a short culvert under the BNSF Railway tracks that would be the responsibility of BNSF to update. BNSF Railway wants the creek to stay where it is today near the railroad tracks, which Damitio said dictated where the stream alignment went.

The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife has estimated the project has the potential to open about 7,000 feet of fish habitat, Damitio said.

“These culverts are not little 18-inch culverts under the road,” Damitio said. “These are likely to end up being in the range of 20-foot-wide box culverts, or in the case of Peace Portal Drive, we’re probably looking at a bridge.”

The Whatcom County Assessor’s Office lists Nelly Santiago and Abimael Avella as owners of the Que Onda building and Cancon Asset Management LLC as the owner of the Cole International building.

Asked by councilmember Sonia Hurt how soon those properties would be purchased, Damitio said it would happen as fast as the process allows.

“We have started working with those business owners to see if we can acquire those properties,” he said.

WSDOT will advertise the project in September 2028 and hopes to start construction in April 2029. The construction timeline projects a completion date of November 2030.

Costs include $2.5 million for design work, $4.5 million for property acquisition and construction costs of about $60 million.

The project stems from a 2013 U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington decision that ruled in favor of 21 northwest Washington tribes who sued the state to force it to uphold treaty obligations to preserve salmon and steelhead runs. The court ordered WSDOT to complete the majority of habitat improvements by 2030.

So far, WSDOT has corrected 146 culverts and improved access to 571 miles of blocked salmon habitat, according to the WSDOT website.

Councilmember Mike Hill voiced discontent with the project, saying the city can’t get funding for an overpass at Blaine Road and Peace Portal Drive for safety but the state is providing money for this project. He added he’s never seen a fish in Cain Creek.

“You’re going to take two businesses out,” Hill said. “You’re going to disrupt the entire town during this.”

Damitio said the fish may not be in the creek because of historical practices and that WSDOT has observed fish return after the projects.

Hurt asked what obstacles were upstream of the Peace Portal Drive area, to which Damitio said he didn’t know. If there were upstream barriers, Damitio hoped this project would lay the groundwork for future projects removing those barriers and allowing the fish to swim farther upstream.

“This is a generational effort,” Damitio said of bringing back the fish. “It isn’t going to happen overnight.”