Olivia

Olivia Graff Geography 319
The Mahtwillie Canal: Environmental Interactions

Environmental Analysis
The students of Geography 319 hope to bring a wealth of new opportunities to the Western United States and even Canada. We have proposed the construction of a new canal that will run from the Columbia River to the Puget Sound. The canal will be called the Mahtwillie Canal, which translates as "to the interior. This canal will make it possible for shipping vessels to reach Olympia and other Puget Sound ports without having to enter the Pacific Ocean and travel all the way around the Olympic Peninsula.

We have analyzed all the necessary aspects of what this massive project will mean. This presentation will concentrate on environmental analysis, economic and social factors are explored in separate reports. We have prepared these short reports to introduce and summarize our research. The data we have collected is based on extensive field research as well as looking at examples from other projects of this magnitude like the Michigan Illinois Canal. We have also worked in cooperation with the bureaucratic agencies that are financing our project. Our goals are to bring a more efficient way to ship good from the Columbia River. The Mahtwillie Canal will run from Kelso/Longview on the Columbia River, straight up Olympia on the Puget Sound. There canal will run through two natural rivers and have several sections of entirely newly constructed waterways.We are excited about making the Mahtwillie canal a reality. We plan to do so taking while taking responsibility for caring for the environment that the canal will effect.

Environmental Impacts
There is no doubt that this will be one of the most extensive projects ever undertaken in the Pacific Northwest. With the exception of the Columbia River Dam system, nothing else has so drastically changed the way of life for merchants, residents, and visitors of the Pacific Northwest. There is no question that there will be consequences for the wildlife and their natural surroundings. Our goal with the Mahtwillie Canal is to make these consequences as positive as possible, and even enhance the natural environment. Natural rivers will be used for a majority of the canal, specifically the Chehalis and the Cowlitz Rivers. To connect these rivers in a direct route, sections of land will have to be carved out to create an impervious canal surface. The builders of the Mahtwillie will leave as minimal imprint as possible on the surrounding land where it is not needed in order to preserve the natural and beautiful corridor occupying this strip of land. Even the natural rivers will have to be altered. In some places the rivers are not navigable for various reasons. The most work done for the project will be to make these rivers ship passable without destroying the natural habitat. Shallow river sections areas are important ecosystems. We cannot avoid the loss of these ecosystems where they are located now. We can however create diversions of the river to create new habitats for the wildlife and vegetation that lost their homes.

An example of a portion Cowlitz River that will need altering to accommodate the traffic of the Mahtwillie Canal.

The construction will also cause an upsetting of the natural sedimentation in the rivers. This will settle down with time but new landforms, such as sandbars, may form. In the constructed canal sections, sediment brought with the flow of water will eventually settle on the concrete creating an environment that may someday become habitable. Along the banks of the canal, barriers will be constructed to keep the water contained and controlled. This provides potential for recreation as walkways and places for small businesses to set up. It will also prevent the canal from flooding and it will keep the canal contained so as to cause the least amount of impact to the natural surroundings.
This is an example of a portion Cowlitz River that will need altering to accommodate the traffic of the Mahtwillie Canal.

Much of the land purchased for construction of the Mahtwillie canal, that was not government owned, was formerly agricultural land. The loss of space for farmers was minimal; the canal stretches nearly 70 miles but is only wide enough for shipping vessels to pass. The canal has possibilities to benefit the farmers as well. The canal will have irrigation capabilities. The Mahtwillie can even serve as flood control.

An example of a portion Cowlitz River that will need altering to accommodate the traffic of the Mahtwillie Canal.
The construction will also cause an upsetting of the natural sedimentation in the rivers. This will settle down with time but new landforms, such as sandbars, may form. In the constructed canal sections, sediment brought with the flow of water will eventually settle on the concrete creating an environment that may someday become habitable. Along the banks of the canal, barriers will be constructed to keep the water contained and controlled. This provides potential for recreation as walkways and places for small businesses to set up. It will also prevent the canal from flooding and it will keep the canal contained so as to cause the least amount of impact to the natural surroundings. This is an example of a portion Cowlitz River that will need altering to accommodate the traffic of the Mahtwillie Canal. Much of the land purchased for construction of the Mahtwillie canal, that was not government owned, was formerly agricultural land. The loss of space for farmers was minimal; the canal stretches nearly 70 miles but is only wide enough for shipping vessels to pass. The canal has possibilities to benefit the farmers as well. The canal will have irrigation capabilities. The Mahtwillie can even serve as flood control.

Other possibilities include recreational, industrial, and educational activities. Port towns will experience slightly increased levels of fumes due to the growth of industrial centers. Noise levels will increase due to boats honking and the everyday bustle of busy ports.

Blasting and drilling will be excavation tools used in the construction of the canal. Doing this kind of work around water is a difficult process that must be done with care. The rivers will have to be temporarily diverted to do some of the more complex work. We will be working with professionals to do this and will do more than is necessary to ensure that we do this safely and efficiently. There will be a few square miles that will need extensive removal of vegetation. This vegetation can be used for logging which is a major industry in the area. On the banks of the canal we will leave vegetation to keep the areas natural and wildlife friendly. Commercial fishing will not be affected, neither will recreational fishing. Our research shows fish will not suffer from fishing and fishers will not benefit from the new canal since canals are not appropriate settings in which to fish. The Chehalis and Cowlitz Rivers are major rivers for the salmon population. We are planning in taking the utmost care with this precious resource. We are taking the appropriate precautions to not disturb their natural habitat or spawning patterns.

CONCLUSION AND EXPECTED OUTCOME

The canal has been approved by the appropriate authorities and construction will commence within the year.
The impact of this project will be immeasurable. No one can predict exactly how extensive the impact of this project will be. More places than we can imagine will benefit from the canal. Conversely, many towns will also suffer from loss of business when boats begin to use the Mahtwillie instead of the ocean and the other Puget Sound ports.
As time goes on the importance of the canal will become more apparent. The Mahtwillie will be more refined and more improvement and development will change vacation and business destinations forever. Think of places like Newport and Port Townsend. Soon we will have a plethora of new towns that will develop into similar tourist towns.