Why is Surface Water Management restoring this part of Rody Creek?

To reduce flooding. Urban stormwater moves quickly and has high peak flow volumes, which means it has greater energy to dislodge rocks and soil and to carry them long distances. These runoff surges enter Rody Creek and erode the channel in the ravine north of 72nd Street East. When the creek reaches the nearly-flat valley floor, stormwater energy is lost and the eroded materials deposit in the valley, first the large stones, then the sediment. Gravel movement and deposition is normal and healthy for streams. However, when stream floodplains have been removed, channels forced into acute angles, and channels have been narrowed, gravels have nowhere to go. Because the channel has been narrowed, straightened, and forced to bend at sharp angles to follow property lines, Rody Creek stream flow is displaced by accumulated rocks and sediment, high water flows over the stream bank during storms, and flooding occurs.

To comply with the Clean Water Act and the County's Stormwater NPDES Permit. Surface Water Management is responsible for compliance with the Stormwater National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (Stormwater NPDES) Permit issued to Pierce County. Stormwater runoff is regulated under the federal Clean Water Act because it can contain various pollutants such as oil, gasoline, sediment, and fertilizers. Removal of streamside vegetation, common in urban and rural development, allows the sun to raise water temperatures. Water temperature is a critical measure of water quality.

To comply with the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Pierce County is also responsible for compliance with the Endangered Species Act. Managing storm- and surface water for flood control and to enable land uses may not harm protected species nor the habitat of protected species. In our area, protected fish species include cutthroat trout, Chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, and bull trout. The Rody Creek Restoration Project seeks to lessen the adverse effects on protected species from past, current, and future land use decisions, of citizens, businesses, and government.