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Madrona Park Creek Daylighting and Restoration |
The approximately quarter-mile Madrona Park Creek will flow from its headwaters in Madrona Park Ravine through a natural ravine in Madrona Woods, under 38th Avenue and Lake Washington Boulevard in culverts, through Madrona Park in a series of pools and fish-passable weirs and finally into a new wetland cove carved into the lake shore.
Now that we have completed the first phase of construction, the stream runs above ground from the lower ravine to a pond on the west side of Lake Washington Boulevard. From there, a fish-passable culvert takes it under the Boulevard. A series of ponds and fish-passable steps in the stream drop it down to the new cove at the lake shore. The upper end of the stream is is directed into the city drainage system west of 38th Avenue. Our next phase is to cap this storm drain and connect the upper and lower streams with a culvert under 38th Avenue. 
The area around the lower stream and cove has been re-vegetated with native plants. The project envisions two bridges in the lower ravine, as well as a viewing area in the upper ravine. The bridge near the cove has been completed. This restoration will offer a chance to observe plants and animals in an ecosystem much like what would have been here 200 years ago. 
Salmon are likely to find Madrona Park Creek too small for spawning, but they will probably rest under sheltering shrubs in the quiet cove or the pools and feed on the nutrients brought down by the stream before continuing on their way up Lake Washington and out to the Puget Sound.
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