Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account (ALEA) Grant

Grants to Washington local, state, and tribal governmental agencies for the protection and enhancement of aquatic lands, including shorelands, harbor areas, tidelands, and beds of navigable waters. Funding may be used for the improvement, protection, or acquisition of qualifying aquatic lands for public purposes. Funding may also be used to provide or improve public access to the waterfront.

In 1984, the Washington State Legislature created this grant program to ensure that money generated from aquatic lands was used to protect and enhance those lands.

Typical Projects

• Removing bulkheads to restore natural beach functions
• Restoring an estuary
• Replacing a waterfront boardwalk
• Restoring shoreline for salmon habitat
• Developing a waterfront park

Eligible Projects

• Acquisition: An acquisition project is one that purchases or receives a donation of fee or less than fee interests in aquatic lands or adjacent lands. 
• Restoration: A restoration project brings a site back to its historic function as part of a natural ecosystem or improves the ecological functionality of a site. Restoration projects may include planting native vegetation, altering or removing structures, and other activities that would make the site a self-sustaining, predominantly natural ecosystem that doesn’t require continual intervention to function.
• Development: A development project is construction or work resulting in new elements, including but not limited to structures, facilities, and/or materials to enhance outdoor recreation resources.

ALEA projects must be associated with navigable waters of the state as defined by Washington Administrative Code 332-30-106, Revised Code of Washington 79.105, and Article 17 of the State Constitution.

All marine waters are, by definition, navigable, as are portions of rivers influenced by tides. Navigable rivers and lakes are those determined by the judiciary, those bounded by meander lines, or those that could have been used for commerce at the time of statehood.

For a list of know navigable freshwater bodies in eastern Washington, see the URL for Full Text link below.