EDMONDS — Plans are under way to free Willow Creek, which runs through Edmonds Marsh, from an underground pipe and turn it into a free-flowing stream.
The question is: What route should it take to Puget Sound?
The project might sound simple enough, but it involves working in a saltwater-to-freshwater marsh, restoring salmon habitat and choosing a path through an area surrounded by railroad tracks and two popular draws to the waterfront area — an off-leash dog park and Marina Beach.
The options are to cut through Marina Beach Park or to a second proposed route that would run between the off-leash dog area and the park.
The first option comes out of a culvert and turns northwest through a nearby parking lot and would be cut through the existing hill in Marina Beach Park.
Biologist say that’s the best route for fish, but it would mean modifying the park area by digging a creek bed through part of the park, said Carrie Hite, the city’s parks, recreation and cultural services director. It would likely include putting in two pedestrian bridges and redesigning the park, she said.
The second option would have the stream run perpendicular to the railroad and then out to Puget Sound. “It does meander a bit, but it doesn’t cut through the middle of the active part of the park or the off-leash areas,” Hite said. “It follows the existing south parking lot primarily.”
An open house is schedule from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Edmonds Plaza Room above the Edmonds Library to discuss the two routes. The city also would like to hear from the public about what amenities to add to the park, such as restrooms.
City Council member Diane Buckshnis, who also serves on the Willow Creek project advisory committee, said the restoration is by far the largest creek restoration project under way in Edmonds. Although the overall cost of the creek restoration is expected to hit several million dollars, she said she’s optimistic that the city has a good chance of receiving state and federal grants for the project, since it involves salmon recovery.
Willow Creek was encased in an underground pipe in the early 1960s, when the Edmonds Marina was built, said Jerry Shuster, a manager in the city’s stormwater engineering program. Before the area was settled, there probably wasn’t a definite creek channel, he said. “It just spread through the marsh and into the Sound.”
The cost of uncovering, or “daylighting,” the creek is estimated at about $5 million, he said. That doesn’t include the cost of improvements at Marina Beach Park.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
Open house
The plan to free Willow Creek from pipes, enhance salmon habitat and update plans for nearby Marina Beach Park will be discussed during an open house from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The meeting will be in the Edmonds Plaza Room above the Edmonds Library at 650 Main St.
The route the creek should take to Puget Sound will be discussed. People also can participate through a virtual open house Thursday through May 28 at marinabeach.publicmeeting.info. For more information, call 425-771-0230.
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