2004 Accomplishments
Water and Land Resources Division

The mission of the Water and Land Resources Division is "to sustain healthy watersheds, protect wastewater systems, minimize flood hazards, protect public health and water quality, preserve open space, working farms and forests, ensure adequate water for people and fish, manage public drainage systems, and protect and restore habitats." Here are a some of the projects, products, milestones, and other achievements we accomplished to carry out our mission in 2004:

Supported the negotiation to purchase the development rights for 89,660 acres and outright purchase of 160 acres of important salmon habitat along the Tolt River in the Snoqualmie Forest Initiative.

Completed the 205 Snoqualmie Flood Reduction Project providing significant flood reduction benefits for flood prone areas in and around the City of Snoqualmie.

Constructed Phase 1 of Auburn Narrows Floodplain Restoration project, approximately 900 feet of restored channel on the middle Green River.

Completed first phase of the $18M, three year Des Moines Creek Basin Plan suite of stormwater detention and habitat restoration projects.

Constructed the Newaukum Creek Large Woody Debris Project, in the Green River basin, that placed nearly 200 pieces up to 3 feet in diameter.

Completed remediation of the highly contaminated Northwind's Weir (aka Duwamish Site 1) project, preparing to restore historic river margin habitat in an industrial area along the Duwamish River. Small Habitat Restoration Program: 20 projects completed, substantial construction work done on 23 more.

Completed the Greenprint for King County in partnership with the Trust for Public Land, to outline a conversation vision and create an interactive GIS database to help establish acquisition priorities.

Aided in the development of draft salmon recovery plans for King County Water Resource Inventory Areas 7, 8 and 9, including risk assessments, technical studies, and technical appendicesthat will guide the region's future course of action.

Participated in the development, drafting and early implementation of the Critical Areas Ordinances.

Completed King County's Community Rating System (CRS) re-verification application with sufficient points to become a Class 3 CRS community. King County is currently the highest rated CRS County in the country and as a result has some of the lowest flood hazard insurance rates for property owners.

Worked with the Department of Development and Environmental Services to streamline permitting for agricultural ditch maintenance that will make it easier for farmers to perform ongoing work to reduce flooding.

Completed second successful year of West Nile Virus abatement with proactive treatment of stormwater ponds and coordination with the Health Department.

Completed timber harvest on Taylor Mountain and applied revenues to natural lands.

Completed several significant scientific studies, including study and sampling regarding endocrine disrupting in King County waters, and planning and implementation of Brightwater eelgrass monitoring and restoration plan.

Developed tentative agreements with cities to continue lake monitoring.

Completed the new Surface Water Design Manual and the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Manual.

Completed the Maury Island Ecological Economic Evaluation.

Awarded $1.4 M in grants to citizen groups to build, monitor and steward their own projects.

Made significant progress on the Middle Green River Blueprint, including development of a comprehensive list of Middle Green projects for the Watershed Resource Inventory Area process.

Coordinated with Wastewater's Industrial Waste section on dental office waste management; resulting in measurable reductions in mercury in the environment.

Prevented new invasions of Class A noxious weed species and eradicated 84% of the Class A noxious weeds found to date; controlled 81% of the 4,798 Class B noxious weed infestations found in 2004.

Responded to the Oil Spill at Dalco Passage on Vashon/Maury Island with sampling support, review of Oil Spill Task Force products and public meeting support.

Completed the technical work for the Miller Creek and Salmon Creek Basin Plans.

Continued progress on significant regional projects like Tolt Levee Setback.

Received a 94% positive response on survey cards from citizens for customer service related to our investigation of drainage and water quality complaints.

Completed major river maintenance projects for the Green River Flood Control Zone District and managed the Districts pump stations which protect the lower Green River Valley from flooding.

Implemented projects in response to flooding and water quality concerns at Lake Hicks.

Completed Forest plans and farm plans which balanced natural resource protection and rural economic activity.

Completed Natural Lands Site plans which balance resource protection and public use.

Environmental Lab microbiology data and supporting QC documentation spanning ten years has allowed Washington State to be the only coastal state in the country to be exempted by EPA from having to use enterococcus as an indicator in monitoring coastal waters. King County is cited in the Federal Register for providing a comprehensive data set enabling EPA to clearly demonstrate that the Washington State DOE fecal coliform standard for marine waters is at least as protective if not more so than the newly enacted enterococcus standard.

Completed remediation of the highly contaminated Northwind's Weir (aka Duwamish Site 1) project, preparing to restore historic river margin habitat in an industrial area along the Duwamish River.