Habitat restoration project planned at Horse Creek in Bothell
Published 4:37 pm Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Activity could begin this summer following environmental review
A project to restore native plants and improve aquatic habitat in a section of Horse Creek in Bothell could begin this summer following an environmental review under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA).
King County’s proposal would entail placing 12 root wads and logs in a section of creek just west of the Bothell-Everett Highway and east of 93rd Place Northeast. The project’s second phase, which would get under way in the fall, would include suppressing invasive weeds and planting native vegetation along approximately 5,000 square feet of creek bank. King County would also monitor and maintain the site for up to five years as required by permit conditions.
“Horse Creek is a tributary to the Sammamish River, so these improvements will have an even broader environmental benefit,” said King County Wastewater Treatment Division Director Pam Elardo. “The project presents a unique opportunity to restore the area to a better condition, and we’re eager to move forward on it.”
King County is proposing the project as mitigation for three inadvertent air releases that occurred during Brightwater tunnel construction in 2008, which caused bubbling and sediment disturbance in Horse Creek in Bothell. Water quality testing showed no evidence that bentonite or any toxic chemical was released into the creek and there were no reports of illness or injury to people or wildlife. King County reported the incidents to the state Department of Ecology.
The project SEPA document is available on the Web at http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Programs/EnvPlanning.aspx.
Documents will also be available to review at the Bothell branch of the King County Public Library, 18215 98th Ave. N.E.
People can submit written comments on the SEPA determination by mail through June 17, 2011, to: Wesley Sprague, Supervisor, Community Services and Environmental Planning, King County Wastewater Treatment Division, 201 S. Jackson St., MS: KSC-NR-0505, Seattle, WA 98104-3855.
