Pierce County is committed to making investments that provide flood risk reduction improvements and preserve and enhance surface water resources, including salmon recovery, to the Clear Creek area.
The Clear Creek Habitat Restoration project improved access to salmon habitat and expanded the flood storage capacity by removing sections of an existing access road that separated Clear Creek from an adjacent wetland, which is owned by the Port of Tacoma.
This 16-acre site within the Puyallup River watershed is home to many wildlife and fish species, including chinook, coho, and chum salmon, as well as bull trout, cutthroat trout, coyote, and deer. Construction was completed in November 2022.
Funding
The construction of the project cost approximately $1.5 million. This project was made possible by Natural Resource Damage Assessment funds administered by the Commencement Bay Natural Resource Trustee Council that consists of:
U.S. Department of the Interior represented by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce
Puyallup Tribe of Indians
Muckleshoot Indian Tribe
Washington Department of Ecology
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Washington Department of Natural Resources
Pierce County also partnered with the Port of Tacoma on this project.
This project increased flood storage capacity by removing sections of an existing access road that separated Clear Creek from an adjacent wetland owned by the Port of Tacoma. The road removal efforts at the 16-acre site included excavating approximately 5,000 cubic yards of fill from the floodplain.
The habitat site features six notches, or 75-foot-wide, low-lying paths, within the former road that will allow salmon to access the Port’s wetland and Clear Creek more easily during tidal exchanges, greatly improving access to critical salmon-rearing habitat.
The water movement between Clear Creek and the Port’s wetland was previously blocked by the access road.
Crews installed large woody debris and habitat brush piles, called engineered log jams, to prevent erosion and planted native vegetation.
The project also created enhancements to riparian vegetation through the installation of native plants.
Project Location
The project is located off state Route 167/River Road East near 29th Avenue East. To protect the wildlife that inhabit this site, unauthorized access is prohibited.
Emergency Contact
Port of Tacoma
(253) 383-9472
Pierce County
(253) 798-6000
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