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Yesterday, Sound Transit received the Washington Department of Ecology’s “Environmental Excellence Award” for the agency’s work in an $11 million estuary restoration project in Marysville, Wash.

The award is the department’s highest honor for recognizing environmental excellence in the state, Sound Transit officials said in a prepared statement.

“Sound Transit found a tremendous opportunity to amplify a required environmental offset,” said Jeannie Summerhays, regional director for Ecology's Bellevue office. “The agency went well beyond the normal scope of project mitigation to solve some challenges that enabled the Qwuloolt estuary project to move forward.”

The Qwuloolt (pronounced Kwoo-LOOLT) project will restore about 380 acres of unused farmland into a salt marsh, the land’s original condition. The project will reestablish habitat and aid in the recovery of Puget Sound. Coordinated by the Tulalip Tribes of Washington, several government agencies purchased several land parcels and secured most of the funding needed for the project.

“Sound Transit takes great pride in ensuring all of our projects tread lightly on the environment and improve the quality of life in our region,” said Sound Transit Vice Chairwoman Julia Patterson.