Posted on April 13, 2026
By Marina Blatt
Drat! The dredging season drags on and on.
In an Oak Harbor council meeting Tuesday, Marina Harbormaster Alyce Henry said the long-planned marina dredging project will be delayed due to federal hold-ups. She estimated that the project won’t begin until at least another year.
City staff submitted permit applications to the federal government in May and June of last year, and the council approved its funding options in July. Dredging was expected to begin between the 2026 and 2027 fish window—the period when construction is permitted in waterways to minimize disruptions to fish—but that timeline is now being extended.
“We are not in a perfect world unfortunately,” Henry said.
A 45-day federal government shutdown in fall of last year significantly delayed processing at the National Marine Fisheries Service, a program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Henry noted. This pushed permitting approvals back by about 45 weeks. Though the Oak Harbor Marina anticipated having all 12 permits by now, staff cannot move forward without necessary federal approvals.
Staffing shortages within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, compounded by additional losses during the shutdown, worsened the backlog, she said. More recently, a federal court ruling rolled national fisheries and U.S. Fish and Wildlife endangered species regulations back to 2019 standards, making the Oak Harbor Marina ineligible for the expedited process.
“NOAA has said you are looking at weeks to months,” Henry said. “So realistically, months.”
Since the city has not yet been assigned a biologist from the National Marine Fisheries Service to provide a required biological opinion, the process could take several more months, Henry said.
Even after all permits are granted, staff will need additional time for contracting and construction. As a result, Henry suggested shifting the project target to the 2027–2028 fish window. The delay will also increase costs, as expenses rise over time.
Councilmember Bryan Stucky said he had been under the impression that completing the project was urgent.
“I don’t want to go so far as to say the sky is falling, but that was the impression that I got,” he said. “Was it not as much of an emergency as we thought, or is it really going to be a struggle?”
Henry responded that while only time will tell, she believes it will be a struggle. Deputy City Administrator and Finance Director David Goldman added that bids could come in higher than usual or be less competitive due to the delay.
Councilmember Tara Hizon expressed frustration but acknowledged that the situation is not the fault of city staff. She emphasized that delays in council decisions can lead to unforeseen consequences like this.
“We were really optimistic,” she said. “We went in with our fingers crossed, and it didn’t work out for us, which is extremely frustrating. But what can we do other than move forward the best we can and just let us know how we can support staff?”
In the meantime, marina staff will continue design and permitting work and begin advertising contracts for the revised dredging schedule. They also plan to move forward with permitting and funding efforts for the breakwater project.
Henry noted there is a possibility of combining the breakwater and dredging projects. This would allow the contractor to mobilize workers only once, potentially reducing costs.
Grant Administrator Wendy Horn said the city received a $1 million grant from the Island County Rural County Economic Development Infrastructure program to cover design, engineering, and additional permitting fees. Remaining funds will go toward the construction contract or project management.
Additional funding is coming from a Business and Occupation tax. The city is also pursuing a federal port infrastructure grant that could offset $11 million of the project’s cost. Staff is further seeking a $5 million grant through the Economic Development Administration, Horn said.
