Tidegates keep salt water out of Skagit County farms. A legal battle has stalled repairs

A legal battle over tidegate repairs in Skagit County has stalled infrastructure maintenance for five years, affecting about 60,000 acres of farmland. A culvert collapse in 2019 damaged the No Name Slough tidegate complex near Burlington, but permitting disputes between drainage districts and the Swinomish tribe over salmon habitat mitigation have blocked repairs, leaving nearby farms like Owen Peth’s vulnerable to water damage.