Aquatic Lands Restoration Team

As steward of 2.6 million acres of state-owned land beneath Washington's lakes, rivers, marine waters and estuaries, DNR has a unique role to play in the effort to ensure healthy waterways. The Aquatic Lands Restoration Team works to restore ecological quality and function to native aquatic habitats for their ecological values, for the benefit of the people, plants, and animals that live there.

DNR's Aquatic Lands Restoration Team achieves this by restoring, enhancing, creating, and protecting healthy ecological conditions in freshwater, saltwater, and estuarine systems through partnerships with agencies and organizations across Washington.

Our team identifies, plans, and implements projects that focus on the following goals:

Remove toxics from the aquatic environment

Our Creosote Piling and Marine Debris Removal programs work to remove derelict creosote-treated piles and debris from sensitive aquatic environments.

Improve habitat for vital freshwater and marine animal and plant species

Our program completes beach and nearshore softening, estuary restoration, re-vegetation, side-channel reconnections, riparian restoration.

Address climate change

Consider how the lands will change over time and incorporate that in the work that we do to increase resiliency.

The Aquatic Lands Restoration Team has three programs in place to help reach the goals above:

Habitat Restoration Program

Marine Debris Removal Program

Creosote Piling Removal Program

Before and after photos of shoreline restoration on Hood Canal