The design contract for the Padden Creek Daylighting project was awarded to Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) of Seattle in September. Designs for the project are currently underway, and removal is scheduled to begin in 2013.
The Padden Creek Fish Barrier Removal project involves moving a stream from a 2,300 foot long tunnel to an actual stream bed. The stream was originally placed through the brick culvert to allow for the construction of a railroad in 1892. The culvert currently prevents fish from passing through and poses a threat to water quality.
“This culvert creates a barrier preventing fish from reaching areas upstream in Padden Creek,” Chris Damitio, Project Engineer with Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), said.
The removal of the fish barrier has the potential to remove the current Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) floodplain from areas of the Happy Valley neighborhood closest to Padden Creek. The removal of the FEMA floodplain would mean that approximately 80 residents would no longer be required to purchase flood insurance, according to Mueller.
Happy Valley is a growing neighborhood with a high density of residents. The fact that a large portion of the neighborhood lies on a floodplain leaves a high risk for property damage in the case of a serious flood.
“They tore down a lot of the woods in the area within the last ten years or so, and the density of people has really increased,” Jennifer Wilke, a Happy Valley resident, said.
The daylighting project will also help to improve water quality in the area due to improved aeration and natural filtration of the water through the restoration of the areas and vegetation surrounding the creek, also known as the riparian restoration. The riparian zone, or the area of vegetation surrounding the stream, helps maintain a healthy habitat for salmon by maintaining cool water temperatures, stabilizing banks, providing food for the fish and filtering sediments, chemicals and resources.
Chinook, chum, coho, steelhead and trout all call Padden Creek home. The culvert acts as a barrier between the fish and the areas upstream that they need to reach to survive. By removing the barrier, fish will be provided with easier access to their spawning grounds.
“There will be a viable, fish passable riparian environment in place of an old tunnel,” Craig Mueller, Project Engineer with the City of Bellingham said.
The preliminary plan for the project is to build a 40-foot-long bridge, of the same width as the current roadway, on Old Fairhaven Parkway in 2013. WSDOT will be funding and building the bridge, which will also lead to the permanent closure of the 20th Street and Old Fairhaven Parkway intersection. A new culvert bridge will be built underneath 22nd Street and a new channel will be dug by 2014.
Once construction is finished, the new channel will then be restored with native vegetation, which will provide a healthier habitat for fish and wildlife in the area.
Currently, the culvert is located in the area between 16th Ave. and 22nd Street, along Fairhaven Parkway. The culvert crosses the highway at 16th Ave., which gets the highway department involved in the issue. WSDOT is partnering with the City of Bellingham to provide a new crossing at 20th Street, which would daylight the stream.
“The current crossing is in great shape, but with anything over 100 years old we are concerned about the long term impacts on the highway,” Damitio said.
SAIC of Seattle, the company recently assigned to design the project, is currently negotiating the final works, as well as the engineering costs with the City of Bellingham. The firm interviewed and was awarded the project this September.
SAIC originally worked on the 2001 preliminary report for the City of Bellingham and Padden Creek Alliance, which is comprised of the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, public officials and residents of Happy Valley and Fairhaven. These preliminary reports were used in assigning grants and for budgeting purposes.
“In the 10 years since, the city has purchased needed properties along the corridor (and is nearly complete with this process), and has raised the necessary funds based on the 2001 cost estimates,” Mueller said.
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