Presentation Abstract
At over ¾ of a mile long, the Seahurst Park Ecosystem Restoration Project (Project) is the largest armor removal and soft shore restoration project on Puget Sound. Initiated in 2001 by the City of Burien in partnership the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and many other funding partners, construction of the second phase is scheduled for completion in April of 2014. At 180 acres, Seahurst Park can be viewed as a green infrastructure project from many different perspectives. First is the role of the site and project in delivering sediment to the longest drift cell along King County's eastern Puget Sound shoreline. Most of this drift cell is armored with bulkheads and rock revetments associated with residential and commercial development. Due to its location at the updrift end of this 10 mile long driftcell, and the presence of unstable forested bluffs within the park, restoring the bluff to beach sediment supply is a key goal of the project. In this way, the Project supports sustainable nearshore habitat both on-site and off-site, supplying sediment to the drift cell. It also supports a degree of sustainable shoreline protection for all the properties along the drift cell that the restored project will supply sediment. This feature increases resiliency to storm damage and flooding. A second green infrastructure component is water quality treatment. The park includes forested bluffs and ravines, and numerous small streams and wetlands that drain into Puget Sound. Master planning for the park completed in 2002 preserves and restores more than 90% of the site as natural habitat, protecting the water quality function of the natural features throughout the park. In addition, Phase 2 of the Project includes reconstruction of the lower parking area to treat runoff from pollution generating surfaces using low impact development techniques. These techniques include permeable paving and bioretention/rain gardens for water quality treatment. A third green infrastructure component is the recreational and educational value of restored natural beaches, stream mouths, and other habitats. The park is the largest shoreline park between Seattle and Tacoma, and is heavily used by the local community, and many school districts in the region for field trips. As restored habitat, these features improve both the ecological functioning of the park as natural habitat, and the attractiveness of park for recreational use and for environmental learning. Enjoyment of the natural shoreline and environmental education about the natural shoreline are the main attractions to the park that were identified through an extensive public outreach process during the master planning, and subsequent phases of design. Anchor QEA has been working with the City of Burien and the USACE since 2002 on the planning and design of this project.
Session Title
Session S-03G: Ecosystem Services and Impacts of Sediment for Salish Sea Recovery
Conference Track
Shorelines
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
30-4-2014 3:30 PM
End Date
30-4-2014 5:00 PM
Location
Room 6E
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Shorelines--Environmental aspects--Washington (State)--Seahurst Park (Burien); Restoration ecology--Washington (State)--Seahurst Park (Burien)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Seahurst Park (Burien, Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Seahurst Park Ecosystem Restoration: Green Infrastructure Components
Room 6E
At over ¾ of a mile long, the Seahurst Park Ecosystem Restoration Project (Project) is the largest armor removal and soft shore restoration project on Puget Sound. Initiated in 2001 by the City of Burien in partnership the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and many other funding partners, construction of the second phase is scheduled for completion in April of 2014. At 180 acres, Seahurst Park can be viewed as a green infrastructure project from many different perspectives. First is the role of the site and project in delivering sediment to the longest drift cell along King County's eastern Puget Sound shoreline. Most of this drift cell is armored with bulkheads and rock revetments associated with residential and commercial development. Due to its location at the updrift end of this 10 mile long driftcell, and the presence of unstable forested bluffs within the park, restoring the bluff to beach sediment supply is a key goal of the project. In this way, the Project supports sustainable nearshore habitat both on-site and off-site, supplying sediment to the drift cell. It also supports a degree of sustainable shoreline protection for all the properties along the drift cell that the restored project will supply sediment. This feature increases resiliency to storm damage and flooding. A second green infrastructure component is water quality treatment. The park includes forested bluffs and ravines, and numerous small streams and wetlands that drain into Puget Sound. Master planning for the park completed in 2002 preserves and restores more than 90% of the site as natural habitat, protecting the water quality function of the natural features throughout the park. In addition, Phase 2 of the Project includes reconstruction of the lower parking area to treat runoff from pollution generating surfaces using low impact development techniques. These techniques include permeable paving and bioretention/rain gardens for water quality treatment. A third green infrastructure component is the recreational and educational value of restored natural beaches, stream mouths, and other habitats. The park is the largest shoreline park between Seattle and Tacoma, and is heavily used by the local community, and many school districts in the region for field trips. As restored habitat, these features improve both the ecological functioning of the park as natural habitat, and the attractiveness of park for recreational use and for environmental learning. Enjoyment of the natural shoreline and environmental education about the natural shoreline are the main attractions to the park that were identified through an extensive public outreach process during the master planning, and subsequent phases of design. Anchor QEA has been working with the City of Burien and the USACE since 2002 on the planning and design of this project.
