In 2006, it was clear that tidegate repair and replacement, those activities necessary and imperative for drainage and irrigation districts, would require lengthy permitting and variable mitigation, if permitted on a case-by-case basis, and would likely create multiple obstacles for district commissioners. The Skagit Delta Tidegates and Fish Initiative (TFI) is a collaborative, multi-stakeholder process convened by Western Washington Agricultural Association for the purpose of identifying pathways and protocols for federal, state and local permitting of tidegate and floodgate repair and replacement activities within the Skagit and Samish River deltas. Today, drainage and irrigation districts, through their commitment to TFI, are able to work on tidegates with less regulatory scrutiny, streamlined permitting, and consolidated mitigation.

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Skagit Delta Tidegates and Fish Initiative Implementation Agreement  Signatory Parties:

• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service

• Western Washington Agricultural Association

• Skagit County Special Purpose Districts:                                                             

  • Dike Drainage and Irrigation District 12

  • Drainage and Irrigation District 5 

  • Drainage and Irrigation District 15 

  • Drainage and Irrigation District 17 

  • Drainage and Irrigation District 22

  • Diking District 3

  • Drainage and Irrigation District 14

  • Drainage and Irrigation District 16

  • Drainage and Irrigation District 18

  • Dike and Drainage District 25

  • Consolidated Diking Improvement District 22