The Swinomish Tribe is threatening to sue the federal government to speed up estuary restoration and salmon preservation on the Skagit River delta.
Much of the estuary has been drained and closed off with tide gates to benefit agriculture.
But that has destroyed habitat that’s crucial for juvenile salmon.
The tribe says an agreement reached in 2010 prevents the Army Corps of Engineers from granting construction permits for work on the tide gates unless estuary habitat is restored first.
But it maintains that the Corps has been doing just that for the past five years.