City of Redmond builds stormwater ponds, a guided nature trail, salmon viewing sites, and plants native shrubs behind Safeway on Bear Creek trail.
Last year the city Department of Natural Resources constructed three stormwater ponds behind Safeway to treat dirty run-off from Bear Creek parking lot before it enters Bear Creek. Salmon run in the Fall. Now is an great time to walk or bike the trail to see how it is handling the recent heavy rains!
This Safeway stormwater facility cost several hundred thousand dollars and was funded mostly by grant money. Bear Creek provides stream habitat and spawning grounds for Federally endangered Chinook salmon. Slowing storm flows is critical towards protecting these fish. Last year the city Department of Natural Resources constructed three stormwater ponds behind Safeway to treat dirty run-off from Bear Creek parking lot before it enters Bear Creek. Salmon run in the Fall. Now is an great time to walk or bike the trail to see how it is handling the recent heavy rains!
The city will install storm ponds, plant native shrubs and curve the banks from straight ditching done years ago. On March 16th, Council approved $48,415 to study a plan to curve the creek and improve creek buffers further downstream.
Reported by Bob Yoder
Photos by Yoder
And how many trees did they cut down for this project in their attempt to re-naturalize our "nature" trails?
ReplyDeleteHardly any trees weree felled - maybe one or two trees larger than 6 inches diameter, the rest was mostly invasive blackberries!
ReplyDeleteGreat story and photos, Bob! Thanks so much for publicizing the stormwater treatment and trail improvement projects. I'm going to head over there soon and see the results for myself.
ReplyDeleteThis project has enhanced the beauty of Bear creek, the viewing of wildlife in the creek and the safety of the trails. It is so impressive to walk this short trail, listen to the water, see the cormorants, geese and duck. I hope that others take an opportunity to enjoy it. Also, please keep this area litter free if you enjoy a picnic by the waterfront.
ReplyDelete"...cost several hundred thousand dollars and was funded mostly by grant money."
ReplyDeleteI assumed this might have been funded by the $400 per year (33.12 per month) that I and every other homeowner pays per year for "Stormwater." Any idea which grant paid for this work?
I like a nature trail as much as the next guy, but is this a location ideal for that type of project? It appears to be adjacent to two heavily travelled streets so it's not ideal for children on their own or for a leisurely stroll.
I think it would make more sense to make this project more austere and specific to the purpose at hand rather than a very short, inappropriately placed nature walk which will now have to be maintained for sightseers and patrolled by police, etc. The extra cost, especially in this economy, can't be justified.
Sometimes a hole in the ground is just a hole in the ground.
Bob, You are right about the funding sources. Bear Creek Park Water Quality Facility project construction costs were mostly paid with a State of Washington Department of Ecology Grant. The City won a competitive Ecology Grant that utilized FY 2011 Stormwater Retrofit and LID State funds to pay for 75% of eligible project construction and design costs.
ReplyDeleteRedmond Public Works , Natural Resources Division - Capital Improvement Project (CIP) funding was utilized to pay the remaining 25% of eligible project costs.
Preliminary project planning and design also utilized CIP funding. Additionally, Natural Resources partnered with the Parks and Recreation Department to strategically locate the project on property owned by the City, saving property acquisition costs.
Thanks Bob, it is a Jewel. I was completely convinced of that when I saw the “bathtub-ring” of oil, grease and other “gunk” deposited(from the parking lot) into our new stormwater wetland pond(for detention and cleaning) that came with the first big rain of the Fall. Just knowing that “stuff” was not directly discharged into Bear Creek, brightened my day.
Tim Cox, City Planning Manager