Work restarts uphill, downhill in light of Beckett Point discovery of human remains

DISCOVERY BAY – While a Jefferson County Public Utility District contractor resumed work Monday on the uphill portion of a Beckett Point community septic and drainfield project, an archaeologist and tribal members sifted for Native American remains near the shore.

PUD-contracted archaeological consultant Gary Wessen and members of tribes – including Blyn-based James­town S’Kallam and Hansville-based Port Gamble S’Klallam – started working on backfill in the area where 58 bone and bone fragments were found in late May.

State archaeologists believe the remains were those of Native Americans 100 years or older.

The discovery shut down the PUD water-quality improvement project intended to protect the shellfish-rich waters of Discovery Bay.