U.S. Navy Aids Restoration of Gorst Creek

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Batchelder | 180419-N-EH218-0120 BREMERTON, Wash. (April 19, 2018) Capt. Alan Schrader, commanding officer, Naval Base Kitsap, speaks with Jeff Rodin, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on-scene coordinator, during a ceremony celebrating the restoration of Gorst Creek. The U.S. Navy, EPA, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and other various state and local agencies worked together during a multi-year partnership to support ecologically sound conservation and sustainable land uses that are also compatible with the Navy’s mission. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Ryan J. Batchelder/Released)  

BREMERTON, WA, UNITED STATES

04.19.2018

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Batchelder 

Navy Public Affairs Support Element, Det. Northwest

BREMERTON, Wash. – Members of the U.S. Navy, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), Suquamish Tribe, and officials and residents of Kitsap County held a ceremony celebrating the multi-year cleanup and restoration of Gorst Creek, April 19.

In 2014, the Navy took protective actions to address public health and environmental risks associated with contamination at Gorst Creek, originally the site of a landfill that opened in the 1950’s and received public waste and demolition debris.

The ceremony kicked off with traditional songs performed by members of the Suquamish Tribe. The tribe operates a fish hatchery two-and-a-half miles downstream and has been heavily involved throughout the process.

“It’s a great honor to have all of the people gathered here who worked so hard to make such a great statement for our environment,” said Leonard Forsman, chairman of the Suquamish Tribe. “We have a lot of important history and culture at this spot that is connected to the watershed, and we’ve been able to honor those memories by doing this work.”

The cleanup and restoration aim to prevent any further pollution by protecting downstream water quality for people, fish, and wildlife in the area. Working toward a common stewardship goal, federal, state, and local partners labored diligently over two years to permanently address environmental risks on the site.

“I am happy to see this area, one of our state’s wonderful natural resources, and in a way, our backyard here in Kitsap County, be restored,” said Rear Adm. Gary Mayes, commander, Navy Region Northwest. “We love the natural beauty and rich cultural history of this region and because of that, the Navy remains committed to being the best steward of the environment we can be.”

Over two years, the EPA excavated 10,000 truckloads of debris at the 5.7-acre location and restored over 1,000 feet of the creek that had been buried under the landfill.

“Although the EPA was the lead for this project, it was a team effort, and without the input and help from Kitsap County, [WDFW], the Suquamish Tribe, and the Navy, this project would not have been a success,” said Jeff Rodin, EPA on-scene coordinator in charge of the cleanup.

The restoration ceremony culminated with a commemorative tree planting by local leaders on a hill overlooking the creek that will now support yearly salmon runs - a crucial part of returning the stream to its natural flow and making it a safe habitat for chinook salmon, steelhead, coastal cutthroat trout, and other wildlife.

“No one person or organization can successfully achieve our environmental stewardship goals alone,” said Mayes. “It takes a community and all of the partnerships among individuals and groups within this community to align and take the actions necessary to accomplish our shared goals. This project is a reflection of exactly that.”

• Date Taken: 04.19.2018
• Date Posted: 04.20.2018 12:33
• Story ID: 273783
• Location: BREMERTON, WA, US