For the Reporter

The City of Auburn and King County began construction of the second phase of the Fenster Levee Setback project at the Fenster Nature Park on Monday.

The stream restoration project replaces approximately 520 feet of the existing rock levee along the Green River shoreline with a new, buried rock revetment placed farther away from the river.

The project is expected to be complete in mid-September. The area of the Fenster Nature Park – between 2nd Street Southeast and 4th Street Southeast – is closed to the public.

During construction, nearby residents will notice the use of trucks and heavy construction equipment, which can generate increased levels of noise and dust. Trucks will generally enter the project area via 2nd Street Southeast and exit via 4th Street Southeast.

Measures to minimize the potential effects of construction on neighboring residences will be employed for the duration of the project.

The Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery funds provide 50 percent of the total funding for the $631,456 project.

The project will reconnect the river to nearly 2½ acres of its historic floodplain and provide for a more natural shoreline, while maintaining the existing level of flood protection for neighboring homes, streets and infrastructure.

The project is the final segment of a larger Green River corridor restoration effort extending nearly two miles upstream from the Fenster Nature Park.

When completed, this project will:

• Enhance and improve habitat for endangered salmon, steelhead, and other aquatic species

• Improve water quality and increase flood water storage by reconnecting the river to a portion of its historic floodplain

• Remove invasive noxious weeds and re-plant more than 4 acres of stream bank and surrounding site with native trees and shrubs

• Re-establish riparian forest that will provide shade to maintain the cool water temperatures that fish need to survive

• Relocate the existing gravel access road to re-connect the 2nd Street Southeast gate with the rest of the Fenster Nature Park

• Construct a buried rock revetment to maintain or enhance the existing level of flood protection for homes, streets and infrastructure

For more information about this project, please contact Chris Andersen, Environmental Services manager, at 253-876-1962 or candersen@auburnwa.gov.