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D143 - South Midland Wetland Reserve Project Manager Project Overview The South Midland Wetland Reserve is a 15.3 acre wetland restoration and enhancement site between 104th Street East and Highway 512, just east of Aqueduct Drive. The restored wetlands provide numerous ecological benefits and generate advance mitigation credits that may be used to compensate for unavoidable impacts to wetlands that result from Pierce County projects in the Clover Creek Basin. The two year construction project began in June of 2007 and was completed in the fall of 2008. The final plants will be installed by January 2009. The plantings will receive temporary irrigation for a period not to exceed three years. The site is fully fenced and does not presently provide public access. Low Bid Contractor: Estimated Project Cost: $1,829,000.00 |
What Ecosystem Services does the South Midland Wetland Reserve provide? The restoration and enhancement of wetland, stream, and floodplain habitats at the South Midland Wetland Reserve will provide some important ecologic and community benefits. They include: |
Wildlife Corridors and Habitat Connections The South Midland Wetland Reserve is ½ mile from the Larchmont Wetland Reserve site, which is located between 91st St. E. and 96th St. E., east of East McKinley Avenue. Wetland reserves and other open spaces in close proximity to one another allow birds and other small migratory animals to migrate to nearby areas for foraging and breeding without undo loss or hardship. This is essential for successful breeding and survival. Protecting and enhancing networks of small sites throughout a stream reach helps Surface Water Management achieve our goals of efficiently addressing flood control and water quality while preserving natural drainage systems. In a naturally vegetated condition, these sites purify water and detain floods and cumulatively make a big difference in a watershed. |
Flood Storage The 2002 Clover Creek Basin Plan identified a need for three off-channel detention ponds to address localized storm flooding from the North Fork of Clover Creek. Surface Water Management constructed two of these ponds (Pond E-1 and Pond W-1) in response to this need. Restoration work within the South Midland Wetland Reserve was done so as to maximize floodwater storage to the extent feasible. The site was designed to flood during 6-month storm events. This is expected to help alleviate and prevent flooding pressure on nearby properties.
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Advance Mitigation Surface Water Management works hard to avoid wetland impacts during construction of capital improvement projects and smaller stormwater management projects. However, our projects occasionally result in minor amounts of wetland impacts. Restoration and enhancement of wetlands at the South Midland Wetland Reserve will be used as compensation for other project impacts in the area. Surface Water Management is working with state and federal agencies to earn credit for wetlands restoration and enhancement efforts at the South Midland Wetland Reserve to offset Surface Water Management mitigation obligations. Compensating for wetland and habitat impacts prior to construction impacts is called advance compensation. Pierce County Surface Water Management is leading a cross-program effort to develop an advance wetland compensation program. This program will increase the amount of good quality wetlands within Pierce County to a greater degree than is currently occurring through existing mitigation requirements. Wetland enhancement and restoration that is carefully planned and conducted in advance of wetland impacts usually provides greater ecological benefit than smaller, piecemeal mitigation efforts. It is also more cost effective, improves habitat connections, and preserves open space land. |
For more information on Wetland Mitigation Banking, visit the Department of Ecology website on Wetland Mitigation Banking, the National Mitigation Banking Association website, or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website on Conservation Banking. |