Un'ted States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Green Infrastructure Program
Community Partner Profiles
2011 Partners
REGION 10: Puyallup, Washington
Community Background
EPA Contact
Krista Mendelman
US EPA Region 10
1200 Sixth Ave
Suite 900
Seattle, WA 98101
Located in the City of Puyallup in western Washington, Clarks Creek
is an urban stream that provides recreational opportunities for city
residents and important habitat for salmon and trout. Clarks Creek is
about five miles in length and has a watershed area of about 13
square miles. The creek drains into the mighty Puyallup River, which
in turn flows into Puget Sound. Clarks Creek flows through two local
parks and supports five species of salmon and trout. Salmon are an
important food and cultural resource for the Puyallup Tribe of Indians of the Puget Sound region, and
the Puyallup Tribe has operated a salmon hatchery on the creek since 2004.
Stormwater is a significant and growing source of environmental degradation in Clarks Creek and
downstream waters. According to the Washington State Department of Ecology's (Ecology's) 2004
assessment, Clarks Creek is impaired for bacteria, pH, fish habitat, fish passage, and dissolved oxygen.
Analyses conducted by Ecology identified stormwater as a major driver of the high levels of bacteria
and low levels of dissolved oxygen in Clarks Creek. Stormwater washes wildlife and pet wastes into the
creek, elevating levels of fecal coli form bacteria. Stormwater also washes nutrients from fertilizers
into the creek's waters, causing excessive growth of elodea (or waterweeds). The dense beds of
waterweeds in Clarks Creek not only cause dissolved oxygen levels to plummet when the weeds
decompose, but also increase flooding and sedimentation. As the City of Puyallup and Pierce County
become more urban, these environmental pressures will only grow. County planners estimate that the
population in the Clear and Clarks Creek basins will increase by 15 percent from 2000 to 2020 (from
61,700 to 71,000), and that effective impervious area could increase by 40 percent (from 25 percent of
the basin to 35 percent).1
The Clarks Creek Initiative is a cooperative team consisting of business, community and government
members dedicated to restoring and protecting Clarks Creek. Members of the initiative include the
City of Puyallup, Pierce County, the Puyallup Nation and Washington State University. EPA is
Clarks Creek Watershed Fecal Coli form Bacteria, Total Maximum Daily Load - Water Quality Improvement Report
EPA 832N12010
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Green Infrastructure Community Partner Profiles
2011 Partners
partnering with the Clarks Creek Initiative to explore green infrastructure alternatives for reducing the
impact of stormwater on Clarks Creek.
Drivers for Green Infrastructure
The members of the Clarks Creek Initiative are hoping to achieve the following goals through applying
green infrastructure techniques:
• Meet total maximum daily load requirements for fecal coli form bacteria and dissolved oxygen.
• Support the Puyallup Tribe in improving salmon spawning conditions in the creek.
• Educate the public about stormwater and about practices they can adopt at home to improve
water quality and habitat in Clarks Creek.
Green Strategies and Programs
The members of the Clarks Creek Initiative have already implemented a variety of green infrastructure
improvements. Since its rain garden program began in 2009, the City of Puyallup has installed 54 rain
gardens through public-private partnerships. The city hopes to expand on this program through a
project in the public right-of-way funded by a competitive grant from Ecology. A redesigned city block
will include several rain gardens to absorb runoff from the road, permeable pavement, and permeable
pavers to line the sidewalks. The city has also established an education campaign to inform its citizens
about the effects of letting wastewater from car washing drain into the storm sewer. In 2009, the City
of Puyallup and Washington State University Puyallup received a $1 million grant from Ecology to
retrofit the campus with permeable pavements, rain gardens, and rain harvesting systems, and
research the effectiveness of these green infrastructure practices. Finally, the Puyallup Tribe received
a Puget Sound grant in 2010 to develop low impact development solutions to address the sediment
problems plaguing their salmon hatcheries.
The initiative plans to conduct workshops on rain gardens and other green infrastructure techniques.
Some of these workshops may be offered through Washington State University's Washington
Stormwater Center, established in May of 2011.
For more information: City of Puvallup - Stormwater Management Program
Introduction to the Clarks Creek Watershed
EPA 832N12010
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