North Creek - LWD Installation

I went out to a project site today where we designed channel modification and large wood installations to improve stream habitat and function on a small creek in Snohomish County. North Creek is an urbanized watershed that has experienced significant changes in hydrology (due to urbanization) and encroachment by private and public infrastructure. The goal of the project was to improve channel complexity and floodplain connectivity through the addition of large wood, constructed side channel, and floodplain benching.

This is a picture of an apex type engineered logjam jam installed at the head of a constructed side channel to encourage flow splitting and development of a scour hole. In the foreground you can see the tell tail signs of logging of a mature floodplain forest at the turn of the century... which make me realize the irony of past human practices relative to the present and the associated costs of restoring what once was a healthy stream.