The City of Renton is planning to use $400,000 in grant funding to complete the Springbrook Creek Action Plan and manage stormwater and reduce flooding near Lind Avenue SW and SW 39th Street.
A request to accept funding for the Springbrook Creek Action Plan from the city’s Public Works Utility Systems Division came before the Renton City Council during their Feb. 12 meeting.
According to the request document, the Lind Avenue SW Storm System Improvement Project will construct about 3,500-feet of a new trunk line storm system along Lind Avenue SW — from SW 43rd Street to SW 39th Street — and then along SW 39th Street from Lind Avenue to a new or upgraded storm system outfall into Springbrook Creek.
“The proposed improvements will reduce flood risk by increasing the conveyance capacity of the storm system and adding an additional flow path for stormwater to drain from SW 43rd Street and the upstream tributary areas to Springbrook Creek,” the city’s request document stated. “A recurring flooding problem exists on SW 43rd St between East Valley Road and Springbrook Creek, notably at the intersection of SW 43rd St. and Lind Ave. SW.”
According to the city, significant amounts of standing water in the right-of-way at this intersection have resulted in the closure of SW 43rd Street twice in the past five years, with the most recent flood event occurring in March 2022. Flooding and standing water on properties adjacent to the right-of-way were documented during these flood events.
The city was reportedly awarded $250,000 of Flood Reduction Grant funds to partially fund the Lind Avenue SW Storm Improvement Project and $150,000 of Cooperative Watershed Management Grant funds from the King County Flood Control District (KCFCD). The request stipulates that grant funding would be used for project surveys and assessments, relevant permit applications, project design, and construction contract costs.
According to the city, the Springbrook Creek Rehabilitation Action Plan is the first phase of a multi-phase project that aims to “rehabilitate Springbrook Creek in Renton” from SW 43rd Street to the Black River Riparian Forest. This project is on the WRIA 9 Salmon Habitat Recovery plan, which contributed to the award of Cooperative Watershed Management grant funds.
“This action plan will assess through desktop reviews and site reconnaissance the existing conditions of the creek and its banks, vegetation growth, width of the riparian buffer, and any directly connected wetlands along the project corridor. It will evaluate conceptual solutions to improve habitat and ecological function in the creek and define a phasing plan for the implementation of future projects,” city documents stated of the plan. “Future phases of the project will likely consist of permitting, design, construction and monitoring of habitat improvements.”
The design of the project is anticipated to begin in the first quarter of 2024, with work anticipated to be completed by July 2025.
