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Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel FINAL REPORT October 28, 2009 Prepared for: Prepared by: 1205 Second Avenue, Suite 200 Seattle, WA 98101 Acknowledgements The successful design and construction of the Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel is a result of the inspiration and hard work of many people over several years. The contributions of the following organizations and individuals are acknowledged and appreciated: Seattle Public Utilities Seattle Department of Planning and Nancy Ahern Development Cynthia Blazina Lyle Bicknell Karen Brooke Andy Higgins Carrie Jones John Shaw Tom Fawthrop Mark Troxel Paul Ford Teri Hallauer Seattle City Attorney’s Office Susan Harper Rodney Eng Patrick Hastings Deb Heiden Seattle Department of Executive Darla Inglis Administration Merry Lee Sheila Barker Masako Lo Linneth-Riley Hall Gary Lockwood Mark Wheeler Charlie Madden Miles Mayhew Seattle Mayor’s Office Miranda Maupin Michelle Chen Beth Miller Kris Effertz Ingrid Wertz Paul Fischburg Phil Yamamoto Jackie Kirn Tony Vo Seattle Department of Transportation Washington Department of Ecology Connie Zimmerman Joan Nolan Prime Consultant Team Washington Department of Fish and SvR Design Company Wildlife Associated Earth Sciences Inc. Ginger Holser HDR, Inc. King County Resource Consultants Mike O'Neil Gaynor Inc. Herrera Environmental Consultants, Inc. Contractor Walsh Construction Inc. Cerna Landscape Inc. Gary Merlino Construction Co. This report is available on the City of Seattle web site (http://www.seattle.gov and search for “Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel”) Table of Contents Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 1 Location ...................................................................................................................................... 1 Background and Project Goals....................................................................................................5 Facility Design ............................................................................................................................... 6 Stormwater Treatment Areas ......................................................................................................7 Flow Diversion........................................................................................................................ 7 Water Quality Channel – Modified Biofiltration Swale Design............................................. 8 Water Quality Channel - Plant Selection.............................................................................. 10 Water Quality Channel - Sediment Removal........................................................................ 11 Public Areas.............................................................................................................................. 12 Landscape and Public Amenity Components ....................................................................... 12 Wall Slopes ........................................................................................................................... 12 Seasonal and habitat plantings.............................................................................................. 13 Pedestrian Circulation and Public Access............................................................................. 14 Educational Interpretive Signage.......................................................................................... 16 Public Art.............................................................................................................................. 17 Environmental Benefits.............................................................................................................. 17 Water Quality............................................................................................................................ 17 Open Space ............................................................................................................................... 17 Project Outreach Activities........................................................................................................ 19 Post-construction Monitoring....................................................................................................20 Open Space/Landscaping.......................................................................................................... 20 Water Quality Channel and Upper Cascade Swale Monitoring ............................................... 20 Flow Monitoring ................................................................................................................... 20 Sediment Monitoring ............................................................................................................ 20 Vegetation Monitoring.......................................................................................................... 21 Project Outcomes........................................................................................................................ 22 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 22 References.................................................................................................................................... 23 Appendices................................................................................................................................... 24 Appendix A – Costs.................................................................................................................. 24 Appendix B – Signage .............................................................................................................. 25 Page i Overview The Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel (the Facility) is a step towards improving the balance between urbanization and environmental sustainability. The Facility is located in the Northgate neighborhood, near the headwaters of Thornton Creek’s South Fork. The Facility is designed to remove pollutants from stormwater by slowing urban runoff before these flows enter the creek. The Facility, in conjunction with improvements to surrounding roadways, Northgate Mall, Northgate Library and the Northgate Community Center, is part of a larger strategy to revitalize the Northgate Urban Center. Community involvement was instrumental in making the Facility successful from a number of perspectives. A stakeholder group, made up of a broad balance of community, environmental and business interests, helped drive the Facility’s design, which resulted in a Facility design that integrates environmental and commercial concerns. The Facility’s public open space and pedestrian connectivity to the regional transit hub has assisted in revitalizing economic development in the neighborhood, setting the stage for Northgate Urban Center to become an important urban hub within Seattle. The Facility was constructed by Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) with funding support from Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) via a Washington State Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund Loan (Loan # L0600021) (Ecology 2006). Location The Thornton Creek Watershed is a highly developed watershed located in northeast Seattle that drains to Lake Washington (See Figure 1 – Thornton Creek Watershed). At 11.6 square miles, it is Seattle’s largest watershed. The highly urban nature of this watershed has created water quality and flow control problems in Thornton Creek which has degraded the creek’s function as aquatic habitat. Page 1 Figure 1 - Thornton Creek Watershed Page 2 The Facility is located in the Northgate neighborhood between NE 103rd Street and NE 105th Street and 3rd Avenue NE and 5th Avenue NE, near the headwaters of Thornton Creek’s South Fork (See Figure 2 – Facility Location). Figure 2 - Facility Location Stormwater runoff and seasonal base flows from approximately 680 acres drain to the Facility and eventually enter Thornton Creek’s South Fork. Flows drain to the Facility from two subbasins: a 660 acre subbasin that stretches west and north of the Facility and a 20 acre subbasin south of the Facility (See Figure 3 – Subbasins Draining into the Facility). Flows from the 660 acre subbasin begin west of I-5, around North Seattle Community College and the Seattle North Precinct Police Station. After passing through a storm surge pond at the college, flows cross under I-5, and merge with a small tributary and stormwater runoff coming from Northgate Mall, I-5 and the surrounding roadways. The second 20 acre subbasin includes 3rd Avenue NE and an office park south of this street. The majority of flows from these two subbasins pass through the Facility, reenter the piped drainage system at the Facility’s outlet, and discharge to Thornton Creek’s South Fork on the other side of the roadway, near the corner of 5th Avenue NE and NE 103rd Street. Prior to the Facility’s construction, flows from both basins discharged to Thornton Creek’s South Fork from the piped drainage system at the same location, near the corner of 5th Avenue NE and NE 103rd Street. Page 3 Figure 3 - Subbasins Draining into the Facility Page 4 Background and Project Goals Historically, the site hydraulically connected the wetlands surrounding North Seattle Community College with the headwaters of Thornton Creek’s South Fork. In the 1950’s, the area’s affordable land and proximity to I-5 transformed Northgate into a suburban
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