Taylor Creek Restoration Project

Photo of Lower Taylor Creek flowing into Lake Washington.

Project description

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is planning improvements to Taylor Creek, located near the south end of Lake Washington in southeast Seattle. This project seeks to address localized flooding and sediment deposition by improving drainage infrastructure, removing fish passage barriers and improving natural habitat, restoring the natural drainage system of Taylor Creek and its watershed, and increasing equitable community access to open space in Southeast Seattle.

SPU purchased properties at the lower reaches of Taylor Creek, which will allow SPU to increase the quality and size of habitat along Taylor Creek and Lake Washington shoreline, particularly for threatened juvenile Chinook salmon. SPU proposes to replace the undersized, deteriorating Rainier Ave S culvert with a new fish passable culvert. Upon completion, this project would restore and improve approximately 3,300 feet of Taylor Creek and will increase publicly accessible open park space in southeast Seattle. 

Location

This project stretches from the shoreline of Lake Washington, south across Rainier Ave S, and into Lakeridge Park (also known as Dead Horse Canyon) at the south end.

What's happening now?

In response to community feedback about the tree removal impacts of the initial sediment management strategy (which included a temporary access road), the design phase for the creek restoration was paused while the project team evaluated alternative sediment management options and construction methods in Dead Horse Canyon (Lakeridge Park).

SPU and Seattle Parks & Recreation, with input previously provided by the community, selected Option C: Small hand-placed structures and timber frame bank supports as the preferred option! To learn more about Option C, the process for developing new options and how the decision was made, visit our online open house.

The project team is preparing for the upcoming restoration design which is expected to kick off in fall 2025. Once design is developed to a preliminary level, the project team will share more information about the structure details, locations and expected impacts.

Community benefits

The Taylor Creek Restoration project would:

  • Increase the quantity and quality of refuge habitat for juvenile salmon in the lower channel and delta
  • Improve fish passage by removing barriers
  • Replace the culvert under Rainier Ave S with a larger bridge to accommodate more flows
  • Reduce erosion in Dead Horse Canyon and reduce sediment input to the lower reaches of Taylor Creek coming from the canyon
  • Provide public access to the new natural area north of Rainier Ave S once construction is complete
  • Construct road and pedestrian safety improvements along Rainier Ave S in coordination with the Seattle Department of Transportation

Community engagement

Taylor Creek Community Meeting

SPU is committed to providing information and updates on project activities. Updates may be available in multiple formats: website, emails, drop-in sessions, virtual and in-person briefings, and public meetings. There will be opportunities for the public to engage and provide feedback throughout the project. Check back for more information about upcoming opportunities to get engaged and sign up for the project listserv.

2025-2027

  • Develop design package for all project elements
  • Permit applications (entire project)
  • Continued community outreach and engagement


2028-2030

  • Project advertisement and bid
  • Continued community outreach and engagement
  • Construction

Taylor Creek originates from its headwater wetland in unincorporated King County near Renton Ave S. The creek passes through a natural area known as Dead Horse Canyon within Lakeridge Park. It then passes through residential yards and an aging culvert under Rainier Ave S before discharging into Lake Washington. The culvert under Rainier Ave S, along with other barriers in the creek, prevents fish passage to good quality habitat in Dead Horse Canyon.

Between 2010 and 2012, SPU began developing stream improvement concepts and discussing those concepts with the community. Questions were raised during this early engagement about how the site should be used in the future and the potential for negative neighborhood impacts if the site became publicly accessible. In 2013, SPU, in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation (Parks), undertook a collaborative process with the community to evaluate future public access at the site.

In January 2015, SPU approved public access to the Lower Taylor Creek site, and in 2016 SPU purchased two additional properties adjacent to the creek alignment, providing more flexibility for the design process and resulting in a final design that minimizes impact to neighbors. Project design began in 2017.

In 2020, SPU expanded the project scope to address erosion and manage sediment in the Dead Horse Canyon, in order to find and implement a long-lasting sediment management solution.

Between June and August 2023, a value study was completed to allow community the ability to provide input on project design options. This included two community meetings (One in person, one virtual) and evaluation of results. These meetings helped inform the current design known as option C. We thank community for the input in this process. 

While the new sediment management strategy is being designed, SPU has decided to move ahead with design for two less impactful but still very important components of the project. These early work projects are smaller scale and can be constructed independently of the larger creek restoration project.

The Lakeridge Slope Stabilization Project will install underground micropile walls at two locations in the canyon to help stabilize the trail and underlying sewer line from potential landslides. This work is necessary to mitigate the risk of an environmentally harmful and costly sewer line break in the canyon. This project project will advertise for bidding in summer 2025. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2026.

SPU hired a professional arborist to review our design plans and survey the trees in the canyon to help us better understand potential impacts to trees. Their report concluded that 9 trees will need to be removed during excavation. Any trees that are removed will be replaced with three new trees per Seattle Municipal Code, and any area impacted by construction will be restored and re-vegetated in accordance with Seattle Parks & Recreation’s best practices. Please see the project documents for the arborist report.

The Taylor Creek Outfall Improvements Project will tightline two stormwater outfalls along the east side of the canyon. Currently, these outfalls are discharging stormwater directly onto the canyon walls, causing erosion. This work will fix this problem by allowing stormwater to reach the creek without eroding the canyon. There are no tree removal impacts expected in Dead Horse Canyon with this work.

Construction for both outfalls is expected to begin in spring 2027. More information about the Taylor Creek Early Work Projects is available on our online open house.

In fall 2018, Brooklyn artist Olalekan Jeyfious was selected by the Office of Arts & Culture to create wayfinding artwork for the project site. Olelakan visited the Taylor Creek site and met with community members from Kandelia (formerly Vietnamese Friendship Association), Rainier Beach Community Action Coalition, and the East African Community Service Organization to gather their ideas and input. In 2019, Lek/Olalekan presented his initial ideas to the Public Arts Advisory Committee and they were approved to move into design.

All documents PDF format.

Public Utilities

Andrew Lee, General Manager and CEO
Address: 700 5th Avenue, Suite 4900, Seattle, WA, 98104
Mailing Address: PO Box 34018, Seattle, WA, 98124-5177
Phone: (206) 684-3000
SPUCustomerService@seattle.gov

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Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is comprised of three major direct-service providing utilities: the Water Utility, the Drainage and Wastewater Utility, and the Solid Waste Utility.