Showing posts with label surface water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label surface water. Show all posts

Twilight stream walk in Lake Forest Park

Saturday, August 3, 2019

Homeowners living on streams, lakes and wetlands are invited to tour a shoreline restoration project and learn techniques for managing weeds, selecting the right plants, and attracting wildlife to your property.

Ever been curious about what it takes to return your stream to a more natural state and support fish and wildlife habitat, increase property aesthetics, and decrease maintenance needs? 

Tour a shoreline restoration project that's using native plants to revitalize an area once taken over by invasive weeds.
Learn from experts and talk with other homeowners about restoring your own stream, lake or wetland!

Thursday, August 8, 2019, 6:30pm – 8:00pm

Free but registration required. Sponsored by King Conservation District.



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Pop-up storywalk at Carkeek Park this weekend - The Water Princess

Friday, August 2, 2019

Water Princess, installed as a PopUp Storywalk at Carkeek Park, July 19-August 5

King County Wastewater Treatment Division is partnering with PopUp Storywalk and Seattle Parks for a fun summer activity.

Come walk the trails at Carkeek Park and enjoy a PopUp Storywalk! 

Water Princess has been installed along the trails and you and your family can read the story, page by page, as you follow the path. 

The story begins at the Eddie McAbee Trail entrance on NW 100th Pl, near 6th Ave NW Directions and parking.

Water Princess was inspired by a real life story of a young girl and her dreams of bringing clean water to her African village. This vibrant, engaging book sheds light on this struggle that continues all over the world today, instilling hope for a future when all children will have access to clean drinking water.


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LFP City Council hiring consultant to design culvert replacements

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Lake Forest Park City Hall
Photo by Steven H. Robinson
City of Lake Forest Park City Council regular meeting Thursday, July 25, 2019, 7:00pm in the City Hall Council Chambers 17425 Ballinger Way NE.


AGENDA

Ordinances and Resolutions

1. Ordinance 1195/Amendment to Civil Service Rules, LFPMC 2.40.195

2. Resolution 1741/Authorizing Mayor to Sign Agreement for Consultant Services with Gray and Osborne, Inc. to Design a Replacement for Culverts L80 and L90

Staff document (portion)

Background
Culverts L80 and L90 are immediately downstream of a collapsed private culvert that exists on private property on the west side of SR 104, north of NE 185th Street.

Immediately north of the collapsed culvert is a culvert which passes underneath SR 104, identified as L100. Culvert L100 is the responsibility of WSDOT and they are currently designing a replacement as this culvert is included in a list of culverts with fish passage shortcomings WSDOT is required to replace in accordance with a court case.

The City and WSDOT have been communicating for several years about the culverts in order to coordinate our efforts to replace the culverts in a way that results in a proper and efficient transition between the projects.

Preliminarily, there have been discussions about including L100 in a project for which LFP would be the lead agency to replace all three culverts and restoring the creek in the collapsed portion. This proposal would be very similar to that which occurred during the replacement of the Lyon Creek culverts in 2015, where the replacement of WSDOT’s culvert under SR 522 was included in the City’s culvert replacement project, with WSDOT reimbursing the City for the cost of design and construction. 

While that arrangement worked well, WSDOT has scheduled the replacement of L100 for 2021 while the City project is not expected to be ready for construction until 2022.  We are not ruling out a joint project, however, and will continue to communicate with WSDOT on this topic during design.



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Echo Lake now open

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Echo Lake is now open
Photo by Steven H. Robinson


By Diane Hettrick

King County has advised the City of Shoreline that the bacteria count in Echo Lake has dropped and the swimming restriction has been removed.

The restriction would probably have been removed sooner but the formal testing takes a couple of days.

They are quite certain that the spike in the bacteria count was due to bird feces.

At the Echo Lake Picnic on Tuesday, one of the work party volunteers found an entire pile of bread pieces that someone had left for the geese.

First of all, bread is not good for geese or other birds, although they are happy to eat it. When geese are overfed like this, they will congregate in the place near the food source.

If they are fed enough, they will not migrate.

They will lay more eggs and hatch more young.

Then you have situations like we had at Echo Lake Elementary some years back, where there were so many geeses congregating on the school grounds that there were concerns for the health of the children.

The geese there were captured and killed.

Don't feed the large birds - ducks, geese, seagulls.


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Echo Lake closed due to bacteria concentrations

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Echo Lake
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Echo Lake in Shoreline is closed due to high bacteria concentrations. 

The City of Shoreline recommends that people and pets do not swim or wade at this beach or engage in any other water-contact activities. 

Please do not allow pets to drink lake water. 

Do not feed water birds in the area as their droppings are a likely source of the bacteria.

Hidden Lake also remains closed due to high bacteria.

Echo Lake is located between Aurora and Ashworth on the west and east and N 200th and N 192nd on the north and south.



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Hidden Lake closed to recreation

Thursday, June 27, 2019

Hidden Lake
Photo courtesy City of Shoreline
The 2019 Lake Sampling season is currently underway in the City of Shoreline.

As a result, there is a Current Water Quality Alert as of 6/26/2019

Hidden Lake is closed to recreation due to high bacteria levels. Please do not enter the water, keep pets out of the water and do not feed the birds.

The Hidden Lake swimming beach is tested for bacteria levels every week in summer, May through September.

Any signs of toxic algae are sampled and test when found.

Potential health risks are identified, residents are notified and warning signs posted as appropriate.



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2019 Statewide Trout Derby includes Echo Lake in Shoreline

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Fishing at Echo Lake
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Echo Lake is one of the lakes that is stocked with fish annually. Fishermen are regularly seen at the lake.

There is also a tree that is an annual nesting site for cormorants. They appreciate the state for stocking the lake.

If you can get there before the cormorants do, there is a trout fishing derby going on until October 31, 2019 in participating derby lakes.



The 2019 Statewide Trout Fishing Derby

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is pleased to announce the 4th Annual Statewide Trout Fishing Derby which kicks off on April 27 and runs through October 31, 2019.

The derby is open to anyone with a valid Washington fishing license; youth age 14 and younger do not need a license. There is no registration or entry fee required.

Over 1,000 rainbow trout will be tagged and put into more than 100 lakes statewide, so you won't have to travel far to take part in the fun. Any angler who catches a derby tagged fish will win a prize -- It's that simple!

How to catch fish and win a prize:

1. Buy your fishing license, and go fishing at a participating derby lake - like Echo Lake

2. Catch a rainbow trout that has a blue tag

3. Call the phone number listed on the tag to find out what you've won and where to claim your prize

4. Snap a photo of your winning fish or prize and use #watroutderby on social media

Learn more here




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Thornton Creek Alliance meets May 30 with speakers from Seattle Public Utilities

Monday, May 20, 2019

The Thornton Creek Alliance May 30, 2019 meeting will feature speakers on:
  • Meadowbrook Pond: upcoming completion of last year’s dredging project
    • Jonathan Brown, Project Manager for Seattle Public Utilities
  • The Confluence and the South Branch of Thornton Creek: performance review of the new and experimental floodplain projects constructed in 2014
    • Katherine Lynch, Senior Environmental Analyst for Seattle Public Utilities 
Thursday, May 30, 2019
6:30 pm Social Time / 7:00 to 9:00pm Meeting

Maple Leaf Lutheran Church 10005 32nd Ave NE, Seattle 98125

(Mark your Calendar: TCA's Influence of the Confluence event will be held at Meadowbrook Pond, 2:00pm-6:00pm, Sunday, June 9th.)



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Workshop: How to “adopt” a stream and keep it safe for people and fish

Sunday, May 19, 2019

Boeing Creek
Photo by Kyle McQueen
Interested in "adopting" your local stream? 

On Thursday, May 30, 2019 at 7pm, stream ecologist Tom Murdoch will present "five steps of how to adopt a stream" that work! 

This event takes place at the Adopt A Stream Foundation's Northwest Stream Center (NWSC) Thursday night, May 30 at 7pm. 

The NWSC is located at the south end of Snohomish County's McCollum Park, 600 128th Street SE, Everett 98208.

Advance registration is required by calling 425-316-8592; $5 Adopt A Stream Foundation Members, $7 non-members.

The stream talk begins outdoors where you will see close up how streams work while observing trout, crayfish, sculpin and freshwater mussels in the Northwest Stream Center Trout Stream Exhibit.

Then Murdoch will take you indoors for a fast paced presentation that will teach you how go back outdoors to gather physical, biological, and chemical information. You will also learn how to investigate the historical, social, and political characteristics of your watershed.

Then, you will learn how to present all of that information to land use decision makers.

Presenting development “cumulative impacts” from the Streamkeeper’s Field Guide

Great examples will be shared during the Streamkeeper Tales closure to the workshop - come and leave inspired to take action!

Murdoch, the Adopt A Stream Foundation Director, has been roaming around local streams for the last 40+ years. Along the way, he became the editor of Adopting A Stream: A NW Handbook and Adopting A Wetland: A Northwest Guide, co-author of the Streamkeeper's Field Guide: Watershed Inventory and Stream Monitoring Methods, and principal script writer for the Streamkeeper video starring Bill Nye, the Science Guy.

He also put the “pause button” on some poorly planned developments and led a few hundred successful fish and wildlife habitat restoration projects. Come to this workshop and you will get to see one of those projects: a three-acre wetland restored from a parking lot next to the Northwest Stream Center Visitors Building.

View details on how to “adopt” a stream HERE


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Webinar: Beautify and care for your streamside property, May 9, online

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Webinar: Beautify and care for your streamside property, online Thursday, May 9, 2019, 8 - 9am.

Curious about what it takes to return your stream, lake or wetland property to its more natural state?

Want to learn ways you can support wildlife, enhance your property’s aesthetic, and reduce maintenance needs? 

Don't miss this FREE 1-hour webinar for homeowners living along the water. Learn from restoration experts about managing stream, lake and wetland properties in a way that supports the environment and your land use needs.

Click HERE for more information



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Lecture on irrigation systems for yard and garden - Thursday

Monday, April 22, 2019


Have an in-ground irrigation system? Thinking about installing one? Ready to reduce your water bill while maintaining a beautiful garden and landscape?

ALL ABOUT IRRIGATION SYSTEMS:
HOW TO WATER YOUR YARD AND GARDEN EFFICIENTLY
Thursday, April 25, 2019
6:30–8:00pm


In this FREE Savvy Gardener class, Mark Guthrie, Landscape Water Conservation Program Manager for the Saving Water Partnership, will explain how you can make your irrigation system more efficient and use less water. Topics include how to set your irrigation timer, choosing the best irrigation equipment for watering plants, and how to use your meter to look for leaks.

Class is free, but you must register to attend.

Send an email to theresah@northcitywater.org or call our main office at 206-362-8100.



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Thornton Creek Alliance meeting Mar 21: Preservation of our Urban Forest

Thursday, March 14, 2019



THORNTON CREEK ALLIANCE MEETING: Thursday, March 21, 2019

Preservation of our Urban Forest
Learn about Successful Efforts and Work still Needed

Jana Dilley, City of Seattle Trees for Seattle Program Manager 

Why are mature trees so important, and 
what can we do to help them thrive? 

The recent tree planting project at Meadowbrook Pond

Steve Zemke, Chairman of TreePAC and 
Friends of Seattle’s Urban Forest 

Seattle’s new tree protection ordinance is now in development. 
What components are needed to ensure a healthy urban forest for the future? 

6:30pm Social Time / 7:00 to 9:00pm Meeting

Maple Leaf Lutheran Church
10005 32nd Ave NE, Seattle 98125

FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

For questions about the meeting contact Dan Keefe 
or visit Facebook



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Workshop Wednesday evening Native Plant Landscaping for Yards and Streamsides

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

King Conservation District will host a workshop on Native Plant Landscaping for Yards and Streamsides at the Shoreline Library Wednesday February 20, 2019, 6:30pm - 8pm, 345 NE 175th St, Shoreline 98155.

Join King Conservation District in a FREE evening of all things native plants! 

Learn about the MANY benefits of incorporating native plants in your yard or along your stream. 

Explore how to make the right decisions for your landscape and reduce plant mortality, save money, and improve your landscape’s aesthetic and wildlife habitat.

Participants will receive a 10% discount code to use for native plants at KCD’s Native Plant Sale.

We're excited to see you all Wednesday for the Native Plant Landscaping workshop! If you're planning on coming, please RSVP through Facebook so we can get a head count.



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Dept of Ecology to use new testing methods for lakes

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Neighborhood Association volunteers collecting samples from
Echo Lake. The City now collects the samples.
 
The Washington Department of Ecology is using new methods to more accurately test for waterborne disease in state waters. 

The methods will better protect people while they are swimming, boating, or enjoying other recreational activities.

By testing for E. coli in freshwater and enterococci bacteria in saltwater, Ecology is transitioning away from using fecal coliform testing for recreational uses. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and many other states have already made this transition, which current science shows is now a more accurate way to protect against waterborne disease.

“This change is the right move for Washington,” said Heather Bartlett, manager of Ecology’s Water Quality program. “We take our role in protecting public health very seriously and this action will help protect anyone who enjoys our waters.”

A technical advisory group with representation from regulated industries, tribes, and environmental groups provided input on the rule change. Ecology sought public comment in July 2018.

Water quality standards, and the related testing, are used to determine compliance with the state’s wastewater discharge rules, permitting, monitoring, and prioritizing cleanup plans for waterbodies.

The new bacteria testing methods are not related to beach closures, which are managed by local health departments.

Additional information is available on Ecology’s Recreational Use Criteria rulemaking webpage.

Visit the water quality website for more on water quality standards.



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Managing beavers in urban settings

Saturday, January 5, 2019

Learn all about managing beavers in urban settings at the next meeting of the Thornton Creek Alliance.

There will be a panel discussion with representatives from Seattle Public Utilities (Deb Heiden), Seattle Parks (Patti Bakker), and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (Ezekial Rohloff).

Thursday, January 17, 2019
6:30 pm social half-hour
7:00 pm program begins
Maple Leaf Lutheran Church, 10005 32nd Ave. NE, Seattle, 98125

This event is free of charge and open to the public.



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Polar Bear Plungers

Thursday, January 3, 2019

Kendahl and Alain Adjorlolo at Matthews Beach


Immersing yourself in ice water on January 1 is so popular that there are three local bodies of water where people gather to dunk themselves.

Greenlake
Photo by Jeffrey Martin


The Running Club went to Green Lake and jumped off the dock.

Brackett's Landing 2019
Photo courtesy MyEdmondsNews.com


Hundreds of Edmonds residents gathered at Brackett's Landing and ran into the waters of Puget Sound.

Kendahl coming out of the water
"Exhilarating," she said.


And at Magnuson Park's Matthews Beach in northeast Seattle, equally large numbers of people ran into the waters of Lake Washington.

Alain went ankle deep
"Success" and "Far enough" he said


Among the latter were local residents Kendahl and Alain Adjorlolo, although their plunging styles were somewhat different.



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Why are trees important for salmon? Let us count the ways

Ballinger Creek
Photo by Londa Jacques
By Jim Halliday – LFP Stewardship Foundation Advisory Board Member, and 
Doug Hennick, Aquatic Ecologist, Wild Fish Conservancy and LFP Stewardship Foundation Board Member.

Aquatic life depends on an arboreal setting because all parts of trees contribute to enriching the habitat and improving water quality.

Trees, wherever they are in the watershed, help stream water quality by improving the soil so it removes pollutants (like heavy metals) from storm water.

And if they are near streams, trees help by stabilizing banks and hillsides because tree roots stabilize the soil in ways that reduce sediment from entering streams, which otherwise would smother fish eggs and keep fingerlings from finding food by making the water too muddy to see through.

Boeing Creek
Photo by Kyle McQueen
Exposed roots also make pockets of slow water, where fish can rest while being ready to dart out into the current to snatch a bug as it goes by in the fast water.

When trees and their large root balls fall into streams, they become “large woody debris” that provides more pocket water for fish to use, and surfaces for algae to grow on, which in turn feeds more insects for fish to eat.

The surfaces of logs in streams grow three times more algae than the same surface area of rocks, so fallen trees in streams greatly increase aquatic insect food, and the extra insects become extra salmon food.

Also, the terrestrial insects that accidentally drop into streams from overhanging trees are a valuable and bountiful fish food, and the leafy debris that falls into streams is food for macroinvertebrates that also feed young salmon.

The soil of forested watersheds absorb rainfall, and release it slowly ensuring year-long continued underground flow to streams to support spawning and rearing fish.

Twin Ponds feed Thornton Creek
Photo by Melissa Banker


Trees and vegetation cool streams in summer. This is important because warm water kills salmon.

And a lot of the rain and snow that falls on trees throughout a watershed evaporates before it even reaches the ground, thus minimizing the violence of storm flow in streams. That violence can kill fish in numerous ways, from flushing them downstream into places where bigger predators live, to moving the gravel so much that fish eggs wash away.

Chinook salmon in Thornton Creek
Also, just like trees help salmon live and grow, salmon help trees by bringing fertilizer to them.

Marine-derived nutrients from the carcasses of salmon stimulates the growth of conifer trees along northwest salmon streams and rivers.

The carcasses get into the forests by raptors such as eagles and ospreys carrying them to their nests, and by bears and other mammals dragging salmon into the woods for eating in peace.

This activity contributes to the increased growth of the trees and shows a positive correlation with the number of salmon returning the previous year.



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Leaves, rain, and Public Works

Friday, November 23, 2018

This was issued by the City of Lake Forest Park but except for the specific Municipal Code cited applies to Shoreline, Kenmore, and every city in the region.

As we move into the rainy season and leaves start to fall, the Public Works Department starts turning its attention to the City’s drainage system.

It is time to check the storm drains and clear leaves from them to keep the stormwater flowing.

Street sweeping is a component of the drainage system maintenance, and is perhaps the most visible to the citizens.

The City is encouraging residents to clear any blocked storm drains that are adjacent to or in front of their property keeping in mind:

  • Please do not create piles of leaves expecting the sweeper to sweep them away. Use your yard waste tote so they can be composted.
  • DO NOT rake leaves and debris into the street, ditch lines, or right of ways. 
  • The sweeper cannot handle large piles of leaves. If the sweeper encounters large piles of leaves they must drive around them or the pile of leaves could damage the street sweeper and the process may come to a screeching halt. 
  • Municipal Code 16.25.025 makes it illegal to collect lawn clippings, leaves or branches and discharge them into the path of surface water. 
  • Never try to clear a storm drain or culvert if there is moving water greater than knee deep, and always be wary of traffic when working near a roadway. 

Wet leaves are surprisingly heavy, so be careful not to overexert yourself. Debris from storm drains should be placed in yard waste containers. If flooding is severe, or you find evidence of dumping, please call 206-368-5440 for Lake Forest Park and 206-801-2700 for Shoreline.



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Photo: Foggy morning on Echo Lake

Friday, November 9, 2018

Photo by Gregg Haughian

Thursday morning was chilly and foggy all over the area, but particularly dramatic at Echo Lake.



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Accelerating King County's work to remove barriers for returning salmon

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Photo courtesy King County
Executive Dow Constantine recently created a new position to accelerate the work King County is leading to remove barriers for salmon returning to their native streams, a key part of his commitment to protecting and restoring the region’s clean water and healthy habitat. 

Many culverts that were built decades ago to pass water under roads and trails now prevent salmon from making it back to their home spawning grounds.

Evan Lewis, a fish biologist with more than 20 years of experience leading complex environmental and water resources projects, was selected for the new position. 

The Fish Passage Restoration Program coordinates across county departments and divisions – including Roads, Parks, and Stormwater – and will work closely with Tribes and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to prioritize projects. The county also will collaborate with cities and land owners to sequence projects within watersheds.
“With urgency and purpose, we are removing barriers to healthy habitat to ensure the survival of our region’s iconic salmon,” said Executive Constantine. 
“Having a highly respected program manager coordinate the work we are doing across county departments with Tribes and other partners will accelerate our effort, making it possible for more salmon to return to their native streams.”

Read more on this topic HERE



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