Puyallup River Dike Wetland

Project Summary Project on hold. The Trustees cooperated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) in evaluating the site for a wetland project. Historically, the Puyallup River was a broad, shallow meandering waterway with a complement of different shallow water habitats. Today there is a federally-constructed and maintained levee system that runs adjacent to and down both sides of the Puyallup River from the mouth to about 2.2 miles. As a result, the River has been straightened and the levees have prevented over-bank flow to the neighboring floodplain. The levee system also cut off or obliterated several hundred acres of historic tidal marshes. The Corps retains ownership over a seven-acre parcel in which the levee is situated. This project would deconstruct about 1,500 linear feet of existing levee, set it back about 200 feet, and then reconstruct it. Approximately two feet of soil would be excavated from the old levee area and an estuarine tidal marsh would be created. A line of riparian vegetation will be planted outside of the new levee. Restoration Activities This approximately six-acre site is owned and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). The site has been highly ranked by the Trustees for its habitat restoration potential. The project will be implemented through a partnership between the Trustees and the Corps with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians serving as the local sponsor. The field surveys were completed in 2003 and the alternatives analysis was completed in 2004. Sources of potential contamination were investigated by the Corps and additional sampling was conducted in 2003 and 2004. This site is still on the inventory but no action is anticipated this year. Restoration project goals include restoring: tidal inundation and riverine process on approximately seven acres. native tidal marsh and associated plant communities. off-channel rearing and refuge habitat for chinook, chum, coho cutthroat and other native fish species. Project benefits include restoring: the area to a more historic condition. several habitat types (mudflat, tidal slough and marsh). By establishing functional connections between the watershed and estuary, the restoration work significantly increases species diversity, including those species that are listed as sensitive species or are in decline in the region due to loss of habitat. a complex and interconnected system. The project will provide better support at critical life stages, for example, during reproduction, rearing, feeding, refuge, immigration, and emigration. key hydrologic processes in the area. Historic tidal and riverine hydrology to the site would re-occur, thereby improving overbank storage. The increased channel length and consequent increase length of the shoreline would provide improved estuarine habitat. Target species that would most benefit from this potential project include many species of fish, birds, and mammals. Bird species include geese, goldeneye, coot, gadwall, bufflehead, merganser, great blue heron, killdeer, mallard, sandpipers, dunlin, osprey, redtail hawk, bald eagle, redwinged blackbird, marsh wren and song sparrows. Mammal species include river otter, raccoon, and muskrat. The increase in shallow water habitat would benefit cutthroat trout, chinook and chum salmon. These important species have been in serious decline in the Commencement Bay area. chinook salmon is listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. FUNDING The project has not been funded at this time. DRIVING DIRECTIONS Not available. RELATED DOCUMENTS None available at this time. PHOTOS None available at this time.