Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Keller Farm Wetland Mitigation Bank

Redmond, WA – The City of Redmond purchased approximately 83 acres of floodplain on the Keller Farm to facilitate environmental restoration. The area in question is located north and west of Bear Creek and east of Avondale Road.
The city has contracted with Habitat Bank LLC to create a state certified wetland mitigation bank on the property. Habitat Bank will design, permit and install environmental enhancements on the area. Habitat Bank will be responsible for site maintenance, and will maintain the site for at least ten years after restoration work is complete to ensure the establishment of the native plants.
Late last week, the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Washington Department of Ecology issued a Joint Public Notice for the Keller Farm wetland mitigation bank proposal. This is the first step towards agency review and approval of the proposed mitigation bank under the State of Washington Wetland Mitigation Banking Rule.
“This action signifies the start of the process towards a large environmental restoration project on the Keller Farm. We are very excited to see the project come to fruition,” said Redmond Mayor John Marchione.
The conceptual goals of the mitigation bank are to: restore wetland hydrology and create a variety of wetland hydroperiods (seasonal patterns of ponding depth and duration); reestablish native plant species richness and structural diversity in wetlands, project buffers, and riparian areas; reconnect segments of Bear and Perrigo Creeks with their floodplains and reestablish channel complexity; increase habitat structure, function and complexity; and improve water quality in wetlands and creeks. The project also proposes to establish off-channel rearing and refuge areas for salmonids and relocate a segment of Perrigo Creek from a straightened ditch. Preservation of this portion of the Keller Farm complements a 30-acre mitigation project completed by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) in 2013 (immediately east of Bear Creek).

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