Salmon Work Windows for Waterfront Construction

IN-WATER CONSTRUCTION TIMING

An in-water work window is a period when certain construction activities may be allowed with reduced risk to fish and aquatic resources. The applicable dates are not universal: they depend on the waterbody, species, life stages, project type, and permit conditions.

Why work windows exist

Fish use Washington waters at different times for migration, spawning, incubation, rearing, feeding, and refuge. Construction may introduce noise, vibration, turbidity, shading, debris, altered substrate, or temporary barriers. Timing restrictions are one tool agencies use to reduce exposure during sensitive periods.

Who may establish or affect the dates

• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife through an HPA.
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers authorization and federal species consultation.
• NOAA Fisheries or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service consultation documents.
• Local shoreline or critical-area approvals.
• Project-specific biological opinions, programmatic requirements, or mitigation plans.

Not every activity has the same restriction

Pile installation, pile removal, dredging, beach work, excavation, fill, concrete, demolition, float installation, or upland work can be treated differently. Some work may occur outside the water while another activity must wait. The permit package should identify exactly which tasks are restricted and what preparation can occur beforehand.

Plan the schedule backward from the window

1. Confirm the likely work window during concept planning.
2. Identify seasonal biological surveys that must occur before permit submittal.
3. Allow time for design, permit completeness review, consultation, revisions, procurement, and mobilization.
4. Separate upland preparation from restricted in-water activities.
5. Order long-lead piles, floats, grating, steel, and fabricated components early enough to use the window.
6. Build weather, tides, lake levels, vessel access, and agency notification into the plan.
7. Define what happens if the work cannot finish before the window closes.

Construction methods still matter inside the window

A work window is not permission to disregard other permit conditions. Approvals may require specific pile-driving methods, sound attenuation, turbidity control, debris containment, equipment inspection, spill response, concrete isolation, monitoring, or shutdown procedures. The project team must carry those measures into daily planning.

Questions to resolve before mobilization

• Which activities are considered in-water work?
• Are the dates calendar dates, tidal restrictions, daylight limits, or all three?
• Are notification or preconstruction meetings required?
• Is biological, turbidity, acoustic, or cultural-resource monitoring required?
• Can the agency approve an extension, and what evidence would be needed?
• What work can continue if fish, marine mammals, contamination, or cultural materials are encountered?
• Who has authority to stop and restart work?

Related WCI guides

• Washington HPA requirements
• Forage fish, eelgrass, and kelp surveys
• JARPA application guide
• Download the permit checklist

Never rely on a general work-window table in place of the dates and conditions in the current project approvals. Confirm project-specific requirements with the reviewing agencies.