Des Moines Creek Basin Improvements Traditional Cache
RedCanoeCacher: I can no longer maintain this cache. It's been fun.😀
Des Moines Creek Basin Improvements
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Easy parking with a short walk on a new hard packed trail. Park at the Des Moines Beach Park at 22030 Cliff Ave. S. You have to drive through town and down to the marina to find parking. Please do not park on the bridge.
You are looking for a 30 caliber ammo can geocache hidden in honor of the improvements to the Des Moines Creek Basin. What are the improvements? The following is from the October 12, 2008 grand opening fact sheets:
In 1995 the Des Moines Creek Basin Plan committee formed with a goal to improve water quality in Des Moines Creek and clear the way for new homes and commercial development. It was a big and expensive job, but a little teamwork got it done. The cities of SeaTac and Des Moines, the Port of Seattle, King County, the Midway Sewer District and the Washington State Department of Transportation joined forces to the form the committee and got to work.
In addition to enhancing the area’s natural setting, trails, Des Moines Creek and its fish habitat, the committee built a storm water detention facility necessary for WSDOT to begin major road work that will reduce congestion on I-5 by connecting State Route 509 to I-5. The I-5/SR 509 project is important for freight movement, commuting and access to Sea-Tac International Airport.
The projects also helped Sea-Tac Airport meet storm water management needs for its recently completed capital improvement program and future development.
Des Moines Creek is important to Des Moines, SeaTac and the airport because it drains an urban rain-collection basin that they all share. Without an efficient storm water management system, new buildings and other development would disrupt the environment.
Since much of the basin area was developed before effective storm water detention requirements were in place, unchecked water flow gradually eroded the creek banks and impeded natural drainage in the creek and to Puget Sound. Erosion washed away gravel, large logs and small pools that salmon need to make their way up stream for spawning season. A small culvert under Marine View Drive restricted the fish access to only the lower quarter-mile of the 3½-mile of the creek.
The plan was ambitious, but by working together the partners built a state-of-the-art facility that serves an area that’s home to everything from airplanes and factories to schools and neighborhoods. This award-winning project has since gained national notoriety as a model for effective storm water management and environmental stewardship. The total construction cost for all four projects was approximately $19.4 million.
The projects include:
•Marine View Drive (SR 509) culvert replacement and bridge construction to eliminate a significant fish passage barrier and open up more than two more miles of habitat.
•A regional detention facility (RDF) to provide storm water storage and reduce peak flows and channel erosion.
•A bypass pipe to reduce peak flows and optimize storage volume in the RDF.
•Habitat enhancement and restoration to improve fish passage, enhance habitat and stabilize eroding stream bed and banks.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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