The Pilchuck River flows alongside the Centennial Trail from Machias to Snohomish.[8]
Human history
Suburban development along the river's course in the mid-to-late 20th century resulted in declining salmon runs and the placement of obstructions that damaged fish habitats. Mitigation work began in 2002 under the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT); the Pilchuck River had begun to threaten sections of State Route 92 near Granite Falls with erosion.[9][10] A house was swept away by the river in 2012 and continued to threaten other properties, resulting in a 2016 WSDOT project to stabilize the banks and reroute the river.[9][11] Additional work to create new fish habitats in the river by placing logs tied to large rocks began in 2024.[9]
The Pilchuck River Dam was constructed in 1912 southeast of Granite Falls to provide drinking water for parts of Snohomish. A second dam on the site was constructed in 1932 and included a fish ladder.[12] The dams prevented salmon from accessing the upper Pilchuck watershed; by 2019, the annual salmon run had declined by 99.6 percent of its historic counts.[13] The Tulalip Tribes and city government of Snohomish planned for the dam's removal in the 2010s and received funding from government sources and a grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. The dam was removed in August 2020 at a cost of $2 million;[12][13] by November, most of the sediment behind the dam had been deposited downstream by the river.[7]
