Snohomish PUD cuts ribbon on new Sultan River side channel

SULTAN — Community members and local government representatives donned paper salmon hats on Thursday as Snohomish County Public Utility District employees prepared to cut the ribbon on a newly completed side channel on the Sultan River.

The side channel project added an additional 1,900 linear feet of stream habitat, aiming to provide juvenile salmon with places to grow and rest, as well as 135,000 square feet of restored riparian area packed with over 6,000 native plants.

The PUD completed in-water construction in August 2024 and since then has already observed juvenile and adult salmonids utilizing the new streambed, which includes engineered log jams to give young salmon a place to rest and hide from predators.

“We can’t speak highly enough of what side channels mean for the salmon,” said the PUD’s Manager of Natural Resources, Andrew McDonnell. “We’ve seen a plethora of juveniles throughout the side channel network, including this new extension here, and they seem pretty happy. That’s kind of the coolest thing about this project. A year or so ago, this was just a field.”

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/snohomish-pud-cuts-ribbon-on-new-sultan-river-side-channel/