By Joe Scordino
November 2, 2024
Mayor Rosen;
As you may know, this is the time of year when I’m out with Edmonds Stream Team volunteers (students and adults) in/along the “salmon-bearing” creeks in/near Edmonds (i.e., Shell Creek and Lunds Gulch Creek in Meadowdale Park) to survey adult salmon returns and spawning. Besides the salmon occurrence data, we also collect habitat condition data (and have been doing that each fall since 2017).
Attached are two photos over a 4 day period of a bridge in lower Shell Creek where salmon are known to spawn.
You’ll notice in the first photo (below) on October 27 the creek is passing under the bridge ‘as normal’ allowing salmon to pass and utilize adjacent habitat for spawning.
Then 4 days later on Oct 31, after rainfall that increased the stormwater input into Yost Park, you’ll notice in 2nd photo (below) that the upstream area (above bridge) is now totally filled with sediment to the point that the creek has to flow over the top of the bridge and posing an obstruction to chum salmon migrating further upstream to spawn (as well as making streambed unsuitable for spawning).
I’ve been advising the City over the past 4 years of the need to address the increasing erosion and stormwater problem in Shell Creek to preserve the salmon that utilize the creek downstream (and not end-up like Perrinville Creek where adult salmon have been eliminated). Inaction by the City to address severe erosion in Yost Park (especially since the 2020 big storm event) is causing the downstream problem – the bridge in the photos has been there for years with no issues for salmon until recently.
So… I’m asking that you retract the Parks CFP/CIP for Yost Park and resubmit it as an a Shell Creek-Yost Park Restoration Project that starts with “known sediment contributors” in Year 1 with removal of the lower concrete weir this summer and realignment of the creek away from the eroding bluff. Subsequent years in the CFP/CIP should address the excess stormwater coming into Yost Park and its destruction of streambanks and bridges and conduct actual repair of the damage where possible.
Note that I’m asking City Administration (the Mayor) to do this because past efforts to get Council to change the CFP/CIPs submitted by City Administration have failed (i.e., we all know the Council is reluctant to change what City staff propose and when Council does attempt to make such changes, staff have ignored them in past during implementation of revised CFP/CIPs).
Your response is appreciated.
November 7, 2024 – Salmon in the creek!
Mayor Rosen – I wanted you to know that the property owner, WDFW, and I took care of one of the “effects” of the sediment problem by obtaining an emergency HPA permit from WDFW to put a “notch” in the blocking bridge structure to allow chum salmon to get past it to spawn upstream. The attached video says it all.
Now we need to get back to the “cause” of the problem as requested in my November 2nd E-Mail.
Please tell me that you have DIRECTED your staff to retract that 2025 Yost Park CFP/CIP and resubmit it as a Restoration Plan that STARTS with removal this coming summer of the sediment producing weir in Yost Park and that you’ve directed your Public Works staff to develop and implement a Plan to address the excess stormwater that gushes into Yost Park during heavy rain events.