Cities of Burien and SeaTac join funding for restoring salmon The Port of Seattle Commission approved a motion this week to restore a segment of Miller Creek in Burien and SeaTac as well as for the purchase of five portable noise monitors to be deployed in King County communities, including one on Vashon Island. The motion to negotiate an inter-local agreement to contribute $800,000 to a $3.5 million joint project with Burien and SeaTac will help replace a failing culvert and create 450 feet of new salmon habitat on Port property along Des Moines Memorial Drive.

“These projects demonstrate how community input gets results,” says Port of Seattle Commission President Stephanie Bowman. “As we build our future project priorities we will intensify our community engagement to identify where significant Port action can improve conditions in communities and provide the greatest benefit."

“When fully funded, this project will help restore Miller Creek to a more natural state, cooling and filtering the water to restore salmon habitat,” says Maiya Andrews, Public Works Director for the City of Burien.

“This is a fantastic opportunity that creates needed infrastructure and environmental improvements in a watershed that is one of the few Salmon-bearing creeks in our area”, says SeaTac Public Works Director William Appleton,” This project not only protects a sensitive environmental network but also creates a future opportunity for education and outreach for our local children about the need for Salmon-bearing streams.”

The Commission passed a motion covering both topics during their meeting on November 19. The motion provides for negotiation of an interlocal agreement to replace a culvert and create new fish habitat. The project will relocate a deteriorating culvert near 144th St. with a new, larger culvert just south of the current location, protecting the roadway and improving fish passage. The Port’s contribution helps to expand the project to create additional salmon spawning habitat on Miller Creek. The creek currently supports runs of Coho salmon and its restoration will contribute to regional efforts to recover resident Orcas.

The Port of Seattle owns and operates 24 permanent noise monitors which measure noise levels from individual aircraft and keep track of noise levels over time. Through community engagement efforts, the Port has heard community requests for additional noise monitors. This action will result in the Port purchasing five portable monitors and establishing a set of criteria for where they will be deployed.