Pierce County completes $1.5M Puyallup River salmon habitat project
(The Center Square) – A four month project to expand salmon habitats through the Puyallup River area has finished.
The $1.5 million project was funded by the Commencement Bay Trustee Council. The council consists of natural resource trustees established to conduct restoration to natural resources damaged by pollution. The Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, various state departments and the U.S. Department of the Interior make up the Commencement Bay Trustee Council.
Along with aiding the local salmon population, the Clear Creek Watershed is said to have reduced flood risks by removing sections of an existing access roadway that separated Clear Creek from an adjacent Port of Tacoma-owned wetland.
The Pierce County Planning and Public Works Surface Water Management Division led the Clear Creek Habitat Restoration. Crews excavated six 75-foot-wide depressions within the former roadway to allow for better tidal exchange along the 16-acre site.
“This project demonstrates Pierce County’s commitment to delivering flood reduction measures and salmon recovery and habitat restoration efforts,” said Assistant County Engineer and Surface Water Management Manager Kevin Dragon in a statement.
Pierce County will receive additional funding from the Commencement Bay Trustee Council as part of a pollution case settlement conducted through a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration program. The funds will help the program assess and restore salmon habitat damaged by oil spills and pollutant releases in the Clear Creek Watershed.
“The Puyallup watershed has seen more than its fair share of impacts from pollution,” Jen Steger, Pacific Region manager for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration programFisheries’ Office of Habitat Conservation, said in a statement. “This restoration is an important step toward a healthier future for salmon and people.”
The county said it will monitor the project for five years to ensure proper function and the intended habitat benefits are achieved. The Port of Tacoma will then oversee the project area and the overall 16-acre site.
