7200 HARDESON RD 2016-01-01 MF Import

, .� 1 r. � Merrill and Ring Creek Basin w+ The Merrill and Ring Creek basin is approximately 3 miles long, 0.25 to 0.75 miles � wide, and covers about 750 acres. The creek's headwaters is at an elevation of about 590 feet moan sea level and flo•Hs in a northerly directior to Port Gardner Bay, in Puget Sound. � The reach of the creek downstream of Mukilteo Boulevard has been severely degraded by rnnstruction operations at the boulevard crossing. Upstream of the boulevard, "' the stream channel lies mostly within a narrow, steep ravine. M:�ny barriers to fish • migration, including a 10-foot waterfall, restrict fish passage within this area. "" Project Site. The project site is located in the upper reaches of the drainage, about 2.5 miles from Puget Sound. Approximatcly 3,100 feet of stream are contained within the � project site. At the upstream end of the site, the creek flows through an open, un-vegetated ditch and several culverts. This reach has bcen highly altered by gravel mining operations ' and has been relocated often during thc life of thc mine. Just south of the properry line, ,,, a sewer line that crosses under the creck h:is been exposed by erosion, and a grade difference of about 5 feet ex�sts within the channel on either side of the sewer line. The downstream portion of creek within the project site flows through a relatively natural stream ,, corridor. The gradient within this reach is much higher than in the reach above. �� Immediately below this rcach, the City of Everett has built a regional detention pond (approximately 5.5 acre-[eet) that is sized to handle tlows from the 60-acre site following full ;,, development. IY i4 FISh Use r� The stream has a number of blockages to fish migration which prevent the re- �; establishment of a self-sustaining population of anadromo�s Gsh in the stream adjacent to ��+ the site. Coho salmon fry (age 0+) were captured during sampling in the lower sections of the creek in 1981, suggesting that lir��'ed natural reprod�ction may have been occurring at " that time. Furthermore, benthic invertebrate and gravel composition sampling results ��* suggest that Merrill and Ring Creek has good incubation habitat quality and adequate fo�d resources to support a viable fish population in downstream reaches. 4!1 Streamflow and Watcr Q!�alily �i A paucity of streamflow and water qualiry data exists for Merrill and Ring Creek. One streamflow measurement was made in the lower portion of the creek in June, 1980, at which time the base flow �:+as estimated at 2.5 cubic feet per second (efs). Within the project site, the creek is dry for several months during the summer and early fall each year. Streamflow dat:. during storm events hac not been cullected at r4errill and Ring Creek to our knowledge. The primary stream channel and overtlow channel created by the restoration project would convey stormwater from the proposed development to the regional detention pond. 'a - �',:��er�':k:�'F= , , . .• � ��;=:�+�+�� ,. . " ' � -