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release archives » 2012
news releases » june » Executive calls for partnership with Army Corps to
restore salmon habitat on Enumclaw Plateau

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June 15, 2012

Executive calls for partnership with Army Corps to restore
salmon habitat on Enumclaw Plateau

County would leverage state and federal funding to reroute Big
Spring Creek from a roadside ditch into a new stream channel to
protect fish and wildlife

King County would partner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
to restore habitat for endangered salmon and other fish and wildlife
along one mile of Big Spring Creek and 20 acres of wetlands on the
Enumclaw Plateau, under a proposal from King County Executive Dow
Constantine.

“Big Spring Creek now runs in a roadside ditch. This project
would create a new stream channel where salmon could thrive,” said
Executive Constantine. “By partnering with the Army Corps we can
leverage federal funds for nearly two-thirds of the cost for this
important project.”

The total cost of the restoration is $4.1 million. Under the
proposal sent recently to the Metropolitan King County Council, the
County would provide more than $1.4 million in funding and in-kind
services, with the federal government adding the remaining $2.6
million.

Located just north of Enumclaw, Big Spring Creek is a major
tributary to Newaukum Creek, which flows into the Green River near
Flaming Geyser State Park. It’s a key cold-water source for Newaukum
Creek, which is home to federally-protected chinook salmon.

Big Spring Creek also is a haven for coho salmon – a species
that, while abundant in this particular creek, is a candidate for
listing across Puget Sound under the federal Endangered Species
Act.

Early in the 20th century, Big Spring Creek was channelized into
a roadside ditch to increase the amount of arable farmland on the
Enumclaw Plateau – a action that was common at the time, but
severely degraded the quality of the stream’s fish and wildlife
habitat.

If the project partnership is approved, the King County
Department of Natural Resources and Parks would begin restoring the
creek by building a new three-quarter-mile-long stream channel and
routing the stream from its roadside ditch into the new channel.

Logs and tree root wads would be placed in the newly-created
stream channel and wetland, and the creek banks would be replanted
with native vegetation.

Under the proposal, King County would monitor and maintain the
area for at least five years after
construction.

Related information

Salmon
and Trout topics

Green
River Watershed

King County
Water and Land Resources Division

Updated: June 15, 2012

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