Restoring North Creek to Improve Water Quality
/Where is North Creek?
North Creek drains much of the suburban runoff from the cities of Bothell, Mill Creek, and South Everett. It is home to several species of salmon, steelhead, and cutthroat trout. The creek empties into the Sammamish River after passing through the University of Washington North Creek Wetland Restoration Project.
What’s the problem with North Creek?
Suburban Snohomish County in and near the cities of Bothell, Mill Creek, and South Everett has a long history of development and loss of natural landscapes. Forest and wetland soils can filter pollutants from stormwater runoff prior to entering the stream system. The replacement of native forests and wetlands with impervious surfaces causes storm water to more rapidly enter North Creek and its tributaries before pollutants can be removed. These pollutants create poor living conditions for salmon. Due to a lack of filtration, North Creek is listed as an impaired stream by the Washington Department of Ecology for low dissolved oxygen levels, increased water temperature, and high levels of fecal coliform bacteria.
What’s being done to help North Creek?
Snohomish Conservation District secured two grants from the Washington Department of Ecology to restore 27 acres of streamside and wetland areas in the North Creek sub-basin at Centennial Park in Bothell, and two private properties along North Creek in 2019.
This funding lent itself to restoration projects focused on planting the floodplain with native trees and shrubs that will replace the invasive, sun-loving reed canary grass by shading it out. On the two private properties, over 10,000 trees and shrubs were planted across 11 acres to provide shade and filter pollutants before entering the creek.
The landowners who participated in this project were the key to its success. At Snohomish Conservation District, we are invested in services that bridge the needs of private landowners with the need to improve our natural resources. Along North Creek, implementation of native trees and shrubs will provide a significant improvement to fish habitat by addressing high temperatures and improving dissolved oxygen levels while reducing invasive species on private land.
We were able to execute these objectives with support and funding from the Washington Department of Ecology who are often providing resources for our habitat restoration efforts. This project exemplifies the possibilities of a community coming together to improve natural resources for generations to come and would not have been possible without all of its participants.
This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under an assistance agreement to the Washington State Department of Ecology. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
