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Madrona Park Creek Daylighting and Restoration |
The approximately quarter-mile Madrona Park Creek now flows 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 construction, the stream runs above ground from the upper ravine and under 38th Avenue in a culvert, through 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 area around the lower stream and cove has been re-vegetated with native plants. The upper area will be revegetated in the fall and winter of 2008-09. The project envisions a bridge in the park and two bridges in the lower ravine, as well as a viewing area in the upper ravine. The bridges near the cove and at Spring and Grand have been completed as planned, and the third at Spring and 38th has been constructed with a simplified design. The upper viewing area is mostly 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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