Category Overview
Washington is famous for its gorgeous and abundant waterways, from the Salish Sea to the Nisqually River, but many communities lack open public beaches and waterfronts where everyone can enjoy picnicking, swimming, paddling, boating, and angling. Water Access projects fund public shoreline access, boat launches, and fishing docks to create more opportunities for water recreation.
Project Highlights
Snohomish County restored stream, estuary, and nearshore processes and developed ADA and saltwater beach access at Meadowdale Beach Park, located where Lunds Gulch Creek flows into the north end of Browns Bay on Puget Sound (PS). Recreational water access enhancements included constructing a 9-foot wide concrete ADA accessible path under the south bridge abutment and a viewing platform at the beach. Restoration for rearing juvenile Chinook and other salmonids entailed: Removed 17,000 cy of fill to re-establish a 1.4 ac estuary. Replaced a 6-ft culvert under the BNSF railroad and 128-lf (2,000 cy) of hardened shoreline armor with a 5-span railroad bridge. This created a 90-ft opening for a widened channel meander, restored sediment delivery processes (80-250 CY/YR) to the nearshore, and improved connectivity to nearshore pocket estuary habitat. Removed 75 lf of streambank armor and placed LWD to improve instream habitat. Planted native vegetation to enhance nearshore and creekside riparian habitat. Relocated park infrastructure inland, including benches, picnic tables and a portable restroom enclosure. Rerouted pedestrian circulation with crushed rock and asphalt paths and included 7 viewpoints, 4 interpretive signs, a boardwalk over an existing wetland, and a pedestrian bridge over the creek for viewing salmon. This project presents a resilient solution to a major stressor along a section of Puget Sound identified by PSNERP as “most degraded” and it demonstrates that a healthy coastal ecosystem can co-exist with critical transportation infrastructure. The project also increased eco-based recreational and educational experiences for 65,000 annual visitors, addressed public safety, and provided ADA access to 1 of only 3 County Puget Sound shorline parks.