Cherry Creek Watershed
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Cherry Creek is a lowland watershed tributary to the Snoqualmie Floodplain. Restoration to date has focused on the highly modified agricultural floodplain, which is part of the Snoqualmie Agricultural Production District. The floodplain is agricultural, but with areas currently in horse boarding and duck hunting rather than crop production. Headwaters are low elevation with Private Forest and Rural Residential parcels. Most of the basin is in King County with the northern extent in Snohomish County. The City of Duvall is located near the mouth.
Notes
- The Snohomish Recovery plan lists Cherry Creek as a primary restoration target for rural streams along with North Fork Woods Creek Watershed. The focus on the plan is Chinook and Coho, however the Snohomish Recovery Plan was developed before the listing of Steelhead Salmon.
- The Salmon Recovery Portal provides an overview of how the salmon recovery industry views Cherry Creek.
- Documented coho and steelhead in tributaries, including the North Fork, with gradient accessible reaches above areas of documented presence.
- King County has evaluated the basin and presents on-line water quality reports for Cherry Creek)
- The lower creek is included in the Snoqualmie TMDL for Temperature, Fecal Coliform, and Dissolved Oxygen.
- King county completes water quality reports.
- Indices indicate Cherry Creek is of low concern, with all indicators in the good range, except Temperature and Fecal Coliform. Nitrogen loading appears very low.
- B-IBI scores are all based on the mainstem (rather than north fork) and range from high to good in the upper reaches.
- Based on Salmonscape there are no mapped fish passage barriers on the North Fork, however Wild Fish Conservancy has evaluated undersized culverts on the North Fork (https://srp.rco.wa.gov/project/260/18543) suggesting that evaluation may not be comprehensive.
- Ducks Unlimited and Wild Fish Conservancy have completed floodplain restoration and reforestation in the lowest floodplain reaches.
- The Puget Sound Watershed Characterization Project, using SSHIAP watershed units, mis-delineates the North Fork/Mainstem basin areas.
*The Puget Sound Wetland Potential Dataset clearly describes extensive wetland features in the glacial plateau along the North portion of the basin
- Ecology's Stream Flow Restoration Program program has completed an assessment report for the entire Snoqualmie Basin, but which treats Cherry Creek superficially.
- The Snoqualmie Valley Watershed Improvement District has proposed actions in floodplain areas to increase natural storage (p.73). However, no integrated assessment was completed in the system.