Carkeek to Everett Beach System
From Salish Sea Wiki
- Salish Sea References
- Wiki Rules
- Wiki text does not reflect the policy or opinion of any agency or organization
- Please adhere to our Social Contract and Style Guide
- Complain here, and be nice.
This very long drift cell running from near Carkeek Park northward to Everett is strongly affected by the BNSF Railroad Grade. Six barrier embayments, including several large sites like Edmonds Marsh have been largely destroyed. Given the regional importance of the railroad line, ecosystem management is focused on beach nourishment, limited armor removal opportunities where the railroad in not on the beach, or increasing tidal flows under the railroad grade using culverts and bridges at stream mouths. Most of the drift cell lies within Snohomish County.
Notes
- Snohomish Railroad Grade Beach Nourishment is an initial beach nourishment effort that will be monitored to evaluate the effectiveness of beach nourishment in enhancing ecosystems affected by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Grade.
- Meadowdale Beach Restoration is the initial effort to increase connectivity under the railroad grade (http://hws.ekosystem.us/project/240/4764).
- Big Gulch is another site where restoration planning is underway (http://hws.ekosystem.us/project/240/4758). Community-based vegetation management has happended in the park.
- Japanese Gulch, Mukilteo Lighthouse Park, Shell Creek, and Deer Creek are other sites considered for enhancement.
- Edmonds Marsh Restoration is being pursued by the City of Edmonds with support by Earthcorps staff and mixes creek daylighting, tidal reconnection, and stormwater management.
Workgroup
Snohomish Marine Resource Committee supported by Snohomish County is leading work to enhance ecosystem services in this system.
Nearshore Strategies Data Report
Cereghino et al 2012 completed a soundwide analysis to identify and describe beach sites in Puget Sounds as part of a nearshore ecosystem restoration strategy (using remote sensing data c. 2000-2006). The following narrative was developed to support distribution and use of analysis results:
- Beach Site 8055 is a 50.99 km long beach system containing 12.2 kilometers of barrier beach (24%) and 45 creek mouths, one of 145 beach sites located in the South Central Sub-basin. Based on these attributes it ranks 89 out of 100 in terms of size and complexity among all Puget Sound Beach systems. Over five generations of beach development, 100 percent of beach length now has some indicator of sediment supply degradation, and 51 percent of the nearshore zone has estimated impervious levels higher than 10 percent. Property boundaries now legally segment the shoreline with an average of one property every 237 meters. Based on these metrics, this site ranks 69 out of 100 in terms of estimated degradation among all beach sites in Puget Sound. The PSNERP Strategy Analysis places this site in Degradation Group D15, a very large group of 247 sites with very high levels of sediment supply degradation and average to above average levels of shoreline development. Based on this grouping we recommend this site for a enhancement-based strategy, where due to extensive development and degradation, the likelihood of restoring ecosystem processes is low, and efforts should focus first on mitigating development impacts, and strategically protecting and restoration critical habitat functions for key species. The site faces a moderate risk from jetty development impounding sediment, has moderate impacts from active shoreline railroad, and faces a slight risk from predicted future population growth.
- This site is among 518 littoral cells that contained barrier-type embayments. Historically this system contained 6 barrier-type embayments, with an embayment shoreline of 13.07 km, encompassing 64.4 hectares of tidal wetlands - considering the length of beach this is the equivalent of one embayment every 7 km. This system is one among 88 barrier embayment complexes in the South Central Sub-basin. Based on these metrics this site ranks 74 out of 100 in terms of size and complexity among all Puget Sound barrier embayment systems. The PSNERP Strategy Analysis placed this site in Potential Group P9, a large group of 69 sites with large embayments and wetlands at a typical density, identified as noteworthy sites for their high potential to provide ecosystem services.
- Site 8055 currently has 0 embayment--6 less than under historical conditions. This has been accompanied by a 100 percent loss of wetland area and a 100 percent loss of embayment length, based on comparison to historic maps. 100 percent of the remaining embayment shoreline length has evidence of shoreline modification. Based on these metrics, and the general development status of the drift cell, the PSNERP Strategy Analysis ranked this system 97 out of 100 and placed this site in Degradation Group D9, a medium group of 39 of the most degraded barrier embayment systems, with very high shoreline modification following extensive loss of length, in moderately to highly developed drift cells. Based on this grouping, the site is recommended for a enhancement-based approach, where due to extensive development and degradation, the likelihood of restoring ecosystem processes is low, and efforts should focus first on mitigating development impacts, and strategically protecting and restoration critical habitat functions for key species.
