Surface Water Management Division

Quilceda/Allen Watershed

2008 AQWA Team Accomplishments

The AQWA Team jointly held a successful Earth Day Event (Earth Walk Adventure 2008).

Snohomish County Surface Water Management (SWM)

• The Snohomish Watershed Steward provided site visits to 5 residents in the watershed that requested technical advice.
• Volunteers from Boy Scout Troop 80 and Everett Community College planted 300 native trees and shrubs along the Middle Fork of Quilceda Creek on private property.  Snohomish County staff also installed 225 willow and dogwood cuttings along the bank of the creek.
• SWM’s Washington Conservation Corps Crew conducted vegetation vigor monitoring and site maintenance on the Miller site just downstream of the mouth of the Middle Fork of Quilceda Creek.
• The Washington Conservation Corps Crew conducted a site assessment and completed weeding and site maintenance at the Middle Fork Quilceda project near the intersection of 132nd St. and 58th Dr. NE.
• SWM educators visited 7 Marysville classrooms (187 students and 9 teachers) to present various fish and water-related lessons.
• In February, SWM facilitated a Project WET workshop for the 5th grade teachers from Sunnyside Elementary School in Marysville.  This workshop prepares teachers to use the district’s Jones Creek Educational site.
• SWM hosted 4 other teacher workshops that were attended by 15 teachers from Lakewood and Marysville schools.
• SWM Salmon Watching was conducted on Middle Fork Quilceda to count the salmon as they move upstream to spawn.
• SWM met with 4 different Marysville teaching teams to incorporate fish and water into their curriculum.
• SWM helped the 104 5th graders at Sunnyside Elementary do a restoration planting in the natural wetland behind their school.
• Water quality staff responded to two complaints in the basin.  One complaint in the Allen Creek Watershed involved impacts to a drainage system from construction activities.  The second complaint was in the Quilceda Creek Watershed pertaining to clearing and grading activities.
• 19 locations in Quilceda Creek were screened under the Snohomish County water quality illicit discharge detection and elimination program (IDDE) program.  Pursuant to National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements, the IDDE program protects water quality in the County by investigating, detecting and removing illicit discharges and connections from County drainage systems and waters of the state. 
• Staff from SWM’s Drainage Rehabilitation and Investigation (DRI) group completed a project to improve the stormwater conveyance system near 90th St. and 51st Ave.  They replaced failed drain pipes with larger trench drains and excavated the swale to increase storage capacity.
• SWM’s DRI group also installed an infiltration system on the west side of the 53rd Avenue NE cul-de-sac to reduce local flooding.

City of Marysville

• Working to update the City of Marysville code to comply with phase II requirements
• Coordinated monitoring efforts with neighboring jurisdictions and continued to perform TMDL monitoring in the Allen/Quilceda watershed
• Continued to support the Tulalip Tribe on the Qwuloolt Restoration Project
  Continued to coordinate the implementation of the NPDES Phase II Permit and stormwater management program
• Continued in the development of an updated Surface Water Comprehensive Plan/Capital Improvement Project Plan
• Inspected/Maintained 125 stormwater facilities
• Inspected/Maintained over 5,000 catch basins
• Responded to and resolved numerous water quality complaints throughout the City
• Began to implement a pet waste management program

City of Arlington

• Implemented Stormwater Management Program under NPDES II Stormwater permit
• Conducted monthly water quality monitoring at two locations on Edgecomb Creek, adding to our water quality database begun in September 2003
• Conducted pollution source/water quality monitoring of two storm outfalls to Edgecomb Creek and the receiving stream during two fall and winter storm events
• Construction monitoring of developments on erosion-prone soils, including working with contractors to modify operations and implement BMPs
• Continued detailed inventories of the City’s stormwater infrastructure, including the Smokey Point, Gleneagle and 172nd Street areas located within the Quilceda watershed.  Products include GIS data and inventories tied to an asset management program, geometric network modeling, geocoded addresses, detailed maps, and use of ArcReader to make storm and other utility infrastructure easily accessible and useable by City staff and developers (via Permit Center)
• Detected and addressed twelve (city-wide) illicit discharges to the storm system (including detergents, fuel, concrete, etc).  Educated property owners and business managers.  Followed up to assure modified practices.
  Significant progress on our Stormwater Comprehensive Plan
• Promoted watershed stewardship through articles in the local newspaper and city newsletter

Stilly-Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task Force

• In partnership with the City of Marysville and Marysville School District, led water quality education fieldtrips to 40 fifth-grade classrooms (approx. 1,000 students) to the School District-owned Jones Creek Outdoor Learning Center
  Coordinated the “grand opening” celebration for the School District-owned Jones Creek Outdoor Learning Center, held in May 2008
• Provided classroom lessons on salmon, native plants and water quality to three classrooms (approx 75 students) at Allen Creek Elementary in Marysville
  Coordinated a tree-planting at the Jones Creek Outdoor Learning Center for fifth graders at Allen Creek Elementary in Marysville

Marysville School District

• Formal Dedication Ceremony of Jones Creek Outdoor Education site
• Shelter used for science lessons on site
• Expanded grant application process
• Marysville School District Environmental Education budget in place
• Marysville Schools contract with Stilly Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task Force for science instruction on site
• Eco-friendly tables purchased for science stations
• South fencing improvements for added security

Adopt-a-Stream Foundation

West Fork-

• Continued monthly water quality monitoring at 5 permanent sites.
• Added two new temporary sites to water quality monitoring in an effort to pinpoint fecal source.
• Removed invasive species from approximately 1000 square feet of riparian area.
• Installed 400 native plants.
• Established new vegetated buffers, totaling approximately 12500 square feet.
• Mulched two planting sites; mulch donated by two separate sources.

Middle Fork-

• Toured with City of Marysville to view potential project sites.
• Provided water quality information to 87 landowners.
• Surveyed 41 properties with the landowner for water pollution sources and habitat degradation problems.  Provided each of these landowners with written suggestions for improvements on their properties.
• Obtained 11 landowner agreements for water quality projects.
• Held one informational/educational forum open to Quilceda residents in 2nd quarter.  Twenty interested parties attended the forum.
• Permitted & installed 10 in-stream projects.
• Received press coverage in 3 newspapers regarding the educational effort.
  Installed 81 pieces of large woody debris, protecting 1,100 linear feet of creek from excess sediment input.
• Removed invasive vegetation and planted 2,000 native plants in 2 and 5 gallon stock, and livestakes, totaling one acre of riparian buffer.
• Held four volunteer planting events on Hayho and West Fork Quilceda Creeks. Landowners, Scout Troops and Edmonds Community College students were essential in helping us spread hundreds of yards of mulch and get thousands of plants in the ground!