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Surface Water Management Division
Projects
Lundeen Creek Restoration Project
Project Completion: October 2007
Ribbon Cutting: April 2008
Plantings to be completed: Winter 2009
Creek Restoration
To alleviate chronic flooding along 101st Avenue, Snohomish County in partnership with the city of Lake Stevens, rerouted the main and east stream channels away from homes and infrastructure. The new channels run through the undeveloped greenbelt between 101st Avenue and Callow Road. Designed to mimic a natural stream bed, the 1,300-feet of new stream channel opened in October 2007.
Along with rerouting the main stream and east stream channels, an additional 1,100-feet of downstream stream channel was restored, enhanced. Barriers preventing fish passage were removed, and hundreds of Kokanee began spawning in the reopened channel in December 2007.
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Enhancements for the Lundeen Creek stream
channels are designed to reduce bank erosion,
minimize flooding, and to improve water quality
for fish and wildlife. These enhancements include
removal of invasive Himalayan blackberries
and reed canary grass, widening the channel,
reducing the bank slopes, and adding logs and
streambed gravels to enhance fish habitat.
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Over the 2008-2009 winter planting seasons, a wide buffer area covering 5-acres along the restored stream channels will be replanted with over 20,000 native shrubs and trees. As these plants mature, they will provide habitat for native mammals, birds and other wildlife -- in addition to providing shade to cool the stream for future runs of spawning Kokanee.
Return of Kokanee Salmon
Kokanee salmon swam upstream from Lake Stevens, in late November 2007, to spawn in two newly restored stream channels of Lundeen Creek. For decades Kokanee had to migrate through and spawn in the narrow, weed-infested roadside ditch along 101st Avenue.
Snohomish County, in partnership with 12 adjacent property owners and the city of Lake Stevens, completed the channel restoration in October 2007.
Over the past century as people built homes in the area, Lundeen Creek has been impacted by logging, farming, and channel straightening, narrowing, ditching and dredging. The overall health of the stream suffered from these impacts, and once-thriving runs of Kokanee, Coho and Cutthroat trout have been depleted.
Kokanee, a landlocked type of sockeye salmon,
live year-round in a lake rather than going out
to the ocean. Smaller than typical sockeye,
Kokanee achieve a size from 1 to 5 pounds.
During November and December, Kokanee spawn
in fine gravel beds within upstream creeks or
along the lake shoreline.
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Degraded habit and water quality adversely impact Kokanee salmon. They are very sensitive to water temperature, and need waters that are kept cool by the shade of overhanging trees and shrubs.
Contact
Craig Garric, Project Manager, 425-388-6648
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