Coal Creek (Washington)

Coal Creek is a creek in Bellevue, Washington, United States, on Seattle's Eastside. It is named for the coal mining industry prominent in the area in the 19th century. There is a popular trail which parallels the creek, allowing views of defunct coal mining equipment and even some bits of coal sitting on the ground in spots.

Coal Creek
Footbridge with Coal Creek Falls behind
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountyKing
Physical characteristics
SourceCougar Mountain
MouthLake Washington
 • location
Newport Shores, Bellevue
Length7 mi (11 km)
Basin size7.11 sq mi (18.4 km2)[1]

The source of Coal Creek is 1,400 feet (425 m) above sea level on Cougar Mountain. It flows approximately 7 miles (11 km) to the northwest, emptying into Lake Washington at Newport Shores.[1]

Coal mine

The surveyors Philip H. Lewis and Edwin Richardson first discovered coal along the creek in 1863.[2] This coal was better located for transport to Seattle than the mines further east at Squak Mountain, and in the 1870s the mining of this coal led to the founding of Newcastle, Washington.[3]

In 1983, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement reclaimed entries to the mine, and by 1984 fenced off 16 "extremely hazardous" openings, contracting work to permanently seal them by 1986.[4][5]

In 1987, King County and the City of Bellevue produced a hydrological model and subsequent watershed management plan for the creek. The earlier mining activity included mine tailings dumped along the stream bank, creating steep slopes which would collapse and create landslides, contributed to "extensive sedimentation problems" in Coal Creek. Additionally, it was found that 10% of base flows were from mine tunnels. [6]

As of sampling in 2007, concentrations of arsenic, nickel, and Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate were still higher concentrations than the sediment cleanup objectives set forth in the watershed management plan.[7]

Aquatic life

As part of the Bellevue city watershed management plan,[8] Coal Creek salmon escapement is monitored annually.[9] Populations of adult coho salmon stock were re-introduced into the creek in 2014, 2019, and 2021 from the Issaquah hatchery,[10][11] as well as "9,000 - 13,800 zero age coho into Coal Creek from 1994 - 1997".[12]

Other species of fish observed include sockeye salmon, chinook salmon, steelhead, and trout.[13]

See also

References
  1. "Coal Creek Site 0442". Retrieved 2016-09-24.
  2. Lange, Greg (November 3, 1998). "Surveyors discover coal at Newcastle (east King County) in October 1863". HistoryLink. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  3. Ott, Jennifer (October 10, 2012). "Seattle Coal & Transportation Company begins operating Seattle's first railroad on March 22, 1872". HistoryLink. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  4. Frank V. LaSalata; Mark C. Menard; Timothy J. Walsh; Henry W. Schasse (1985). Inventory of Abandoned Coal Mines in the State of Washington (PDF) (Report). Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-02-12. At least 19 mines have been operated in the area (Walsh, 1983) and extensive areas are still known to contain open mine workings. OSM reclaimed entries to the old Newcastle mine in 1983 and will fence off 16 extremely hazardous openings in the fall of 1984. OSM has budgeted $80,000 for this reclamation.
  5. Boyle, Brian; Stearns, Art; Lasmanis, Raymond (1985-10-01). "Washington Geologic Newsletter" (PDF). 13: 4. Retrieved 2023-02-12. Work associated with the inventory also included the immediate erectioh of temporary fences around 16 of the worst hazards until more permanent closures could be designed. OSM has contracted for engineering services to develop closure designs for the priority 1 hazards. The contractor is Skelly and Loy Engineers-Consultants of Lexington, Kentucky, which also performed the inventory. The contract work will consist of the design of closures, development of construction specifications, and estimation of closure costs. OSM plans to begin construction on the first group of closures in the summer of 1986. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. Stream Report (Report). King County. 2016-12-02. Retrieved 2023-02-12. A comprehensive basin plan for Coal Creek was produced by King County and the City of Bellevue in 1987 (King County). As part of this planning effort a hydrologic model was developed. It was found that base flows in Coal Creek are augmented by approximately 10% by flows from mine tunnels. Coal Creek was also found to have extensive sedimentation problems from stream bank erosion and the occasional catastrophic failure of tailing slopes that remain from the old coal mining activities in the creek's headwaters and landslides of the steep slopes above the creek. Since 1997, the City of Bellevue has maintained two sediment retention ponds in the system, one immediately upstream of Interstate Highway 405 and another immediately upstream of Coal Creek Parkway. While the sediment ponds are helping to control excessive delta formation through the reduction of large particles, smaller particles and fine silts and clays remain suspended and wash downstream (Tetra Tech/KCM, 2005). Thus the ponds provide no protection for spawning and rearing habitat (Kerwin, 2001).
  7. Stream Report (Report). King County. 2016-12-02. Retrieved 2023-02-12. Basin-wide sampling took place in 2007, including four sites along the Coal Creek reach. Concentrations of arsenic at sites A442 and D442 exceeded the Sediment Cleanup Objective (SCO), meaning effects to sediment-dwelling animals are possible, but uncertain. At site A442, concentrations of nickel and bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (a ubiquitous chemical found in many plastics) also exceeded SCO. AVS/SEM analysis suggests that metals were bioavailable at site D442, but not at site A442.
  8. "Watershed Management Plan". City of Bellevue, WA. 2022-11-08. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  9. "Salmon in the City". City of Bellevue, WA. 2022-11-22. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  10. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (2021). Bellevue Salmon Spawner Surveys 2021 (PDF) (Report). City of Bellevue, WA. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  11. "Coho salmon released in Coal Creek". City of Bellevue, WA. 2021-11-04. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-02-13. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  12. "Stream Report - King County". kingcounty.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
  13. "Stream Report - King County". kingcounty.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
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