Someone tries to reroute major river  

08:07 AM PST on Friday, March 12, 2004

By GARY CHITTIM / KING 5 News

DARRINGTON, Wash. – It sounds hard to believe, but state and federal agencies were astonished to learn someone tried to change the route of a major river in Western Washington – the Sauk River north of Darrington.

Now they fear the river and protected fish may have suffered serious damage.

Photos sent to KING 5 News show what appear to be typical shots of the Sauk River. But a closer look revealed what government biologists say is a serious crime – tracks from heavy equipment apparently used to cut a new path for the river.

KING Sauk River

"Attempting to move the entire flow, or as much as they could, of the Sauk River into a former side channel," said Rich Costello, Washington Fish and Wildlife.

Somebody actually tried to move the Sauk River. It appears someone tried to cut a sharp bend out of the river to straighten it out by using serious earth-moving equipment to cut out a new river bed.

And it was being done when federally listed salmon and other protected fish were in their most fragile state – in or just emerging from their eggs.

So much damage was done, so many laws were broken.

"There's the state Shoreline Management Act, there's the Federal Endangered Species Act, there's the Rivers and Harbors Act," said Costello.

The Sauk is a federal Wild and Scenic River, which means it belongs to all of us.

Investigators indicated they know who did it and why – to protect some private shoreline property, and that they say can't be allowed on our river.

Several agencies are now investigating the case and agents say the possible fines could be astronomical.