Coal Creek | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | Washington |
County | King |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Cougar Mountain |
Mouth | Lake Washington |
• location | Newport Shores, Bellevue |
Length | 7 mi (11 km) |
Basin size | 7.11 sq mi (18.4 km2) [1] |
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.
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]
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]
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]
Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest natural lake in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It borders the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south, and Kenmore on the north, and encloses Mercer Island. The lake is fed by the Sammamish River at its north end and the Cedar River at its south.
Lake Sammamish is a freshwater lake 8 miles (13 km) east of Seattle in King County, Washington, United States. The lake is 7 miles (11 km) long and 1.5 miles (2 km) wide, with a maximum depth of 105 feet (32 m) and a surface area of 8 sq mi (21 km2). It lies east of Lake Washington and west of the Sammamish Plateau, and stretches from Issaquah in the south to Redmond in the north. At Issaquah it is fed by Issaquah Creek, and at Redmond it drains to Lake Washington via the Sammamish River, named after the native people who once lived along its entire length.
The San Lorenzo River is a 29.3-mile-long (47.2 km) river in the U.S. state of California. The name San Lorenzo derives from the Spanish language for "Saint Lawrence" due to its reported sighting on that saint's feast day by Spanish explorers. Its headwaters originate in Castle Rock State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains and flow south by southeast through the San Lorenzo Valley before passing through Santa Cruz and emptying into Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
The Trinity River is a major river in northwestern California in the United States and is the principal tributary of the Klamath River. The Trinity flows for 165 miles (266 km) through the Klamath Mountains and Coast Ranges, with a watershed area of nearly 3,000 square miles (7,800 km2) in Trinity and Humboldt Counties. Designated a National Wild and Scenic River, along most of its course the Trinity flows swiftly through tight canyons and mountain meadows.
Coyote Creek is a river that flows through the Santa Clara Valley in Northern California. Its source is on Mount Sizer, in the mountains east of Morgan Hill. It eventually flows into Anderson Lake in Morgan Hill and then northwards through Coyote Valley to San Jose, where it empties into San Francisco Bay.
The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) is the primary federal law that regulates the environmental effects of coal mining in the United States.
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) is a branch of the United States Department of the Interior. It is the federal agency entrusted with the implementation and enforcement of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA), which attached a per-ton fee to all extracted coal in order to fund an interest-accruing trust to be used for reclamation of abandoned mine lands, as well as established a set environmental standards that mines must follow while operating, and achieve when reclaiming mined land, in order to minimize environmental impact. OSMRE has fewer than 500 employees, who work in either the national office in Washington, DC, or of the many regional and field offices.
Lagunitas Creek is a 24-mile-long (39 km) northward-flowing stream in Marin County, California. It is critically important to the largest spawning runs of endangered coho salmon in the Central California Coast Coho salmon Evolutionary Significant Unit.
The Mattole River is a river on the north coast of California, that flows northerly, then westerly into the Pacific Ocean. The vast majority of its 62 miles (100 km) course is through southern Humboldt County, though a short section of the river flows through northern Mendocino County. Communities, from north to south, closely associated with the Mattole River include: Petrolia, Honeydew, Ettersburg, Thorn Junction, and Whitethorn. The river enters the ocean at the Mattole Estuary about 4 miles (6.4 km) west-southwest of Petrolia and 10 miles (16 km) south of Cape Mendocino.
Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio is a 4.1-mile-long (6.6 km) year-round stream in southern Marin County, California, United States. This watercourse is also known as Corte Madera Creek, although the actual stream of that name flows into San Francisco Bay further north at Point San Quentin. This watercourse has a catchment basin of about 8 square miles (21 km2) and drains the south-eastern slopes of Mount Tamalpais and much of the area in and around the town of Mill Valley; this stream discharges to Richardson Bay.
Issaquah Creek is a small stream flowing through the city of Issaquah and nearby communities, in the U.S. state of Washington. Its headwaters are on the slopes of Cougar, Squak, Tiger, and Taylor mountains in the Issaquah Alps. Tributaries of Issaquah Creek include Holder Creek, Carey Creek, Fifteen-mile Creek, McDonald Creek, East Fork Issaquah Creek, and North Fork Issaquah Creek. The creek empties into the south end of Lake Sammamish. The lake's outlet is the Sammamish River, which in turn empties into Lake Washington and ultimately Puget Sound.
San Gregorio Creek is a river in San Mateo County, California. Its tributaries originate on the western ridges of the Santa Cruz Mountains whence it courses southwest through steep forested canyons. The San Gregorio Creek mainstem begins at the confluence of Alpine and La Honda Creeks, whence it flows 12 miles (19 km) through rolling grasslands and pasturelands until it meets the Pacific Ocean at San Gregorio State Beach. It traverses the small unincorporated communities of La Honda, San Gregorio, Redwood Terrace and Sky Londa.
Pescadero Creek is a major stream in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties in California, United States. At 26.6 miles (42.8 km), it is the longest stream in San Mateo County and flows all year from springs in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Its source is at 1,880 feet (570 m) above sea level on the western edge of Castle Rock State Park, with additional headwaters in Portola Redwoods State Park, and its course traverses Pescadero Creek County Park and San Mateo County Memorial Park before entering Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve at Pescadero State Beach and thence to the Pacific Ocean 14.4 miles (23 km) south of Half Moon Bay.
Walker Creek is a northwest-flowing stream in western Marin County, California, United States. It originates at the confluence of Salmon Creek and Arroyo Sausal, and empties into Tomales Bay south of Dillon Beach, California.
Boeing Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Washington, located in the city of Shoreline, just north of Seattle. It is about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) long and empties into Puget Sound. The creek is heavily modified along its course, and in many places has been diverted into culverts. The watershed of Boeing Creek is about 11.2 square miles (29 km2) in size, with two main tributaries aside from the mainstem. The creek takes its name from William Boeing, who built a mansion along the creek in 1913. Despite the river modifications and stormwater pollution, the creek supports a variety of riparian habitats, native animals and fishes.
Searsville Dam is a masonry dam in San Mateo County, California, that was completed in 1892, one year after the founding of Stanford University, and impounds Corte Madera Creek to form a reservoir known as Searsville Reservoir or Searsville Lake. Searsville Dam is located in the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve and is owned and operated by Stanford University. Neighboring cities include Woodside and Portola Valley, California.
Stony Creek is a 73.5-mile (118.3 km)-long tributary of the Sacramento River in Northern California. It drains a watershed of more than 700 square miles (1,800 km2) on the west side of the Sacramento Valley in Glenn, Colusa, Lake and Tehama Counties.
Solomon Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 8.8 miles (14.2 km) long and flows through Fairview Township, Hanover Township, and Wilkes-Barre. The creek is affected by acid mine drainage and has significant loads of iron, aluminum, and manganese. The creek's named tributaries are Spring Run, Sugar Notch Run, and Pine Creek. The Solomon Creek watershed is located in the Anthracite Valley section of the ridge-and-valley geographical province. Major rock formations in the watershed include the Mauch Chunk Formation, the Spechty Kopf Formation, and the Catskill Formation.
Nanticoke Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 4.4 miles (7.1 km) long and flows through Hanover Township and Nanticoke. The watershed of the creek has an area of 7.57 square miles (19.6 km2). The creek has one named tributary, which is known as Espy Run. Nanticoke Creek impaired by pH and metals due to abandoned mine drainage. Abandoned mine drainage discharges in the creek's watershed include the Truesdale Mine Discharge and the Askam Borehole. The creek is located in the Northern Middle Anthracite Field and is in the Anthracite Valley Section of the ridge and valley physiographic province. The main rock formations in the watershed include the Mauch Chunk Formation, the Pottsville Group, and the Llewellyn Formation. The surficial geology consists of coal dumps, surface mining land, alluvium, Wisconsinan Outwash, Wisconsinan Till, urban land, and bedrock.
Powderly Creek is a tributary of the Lackawanna River in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 2.3 miles (3.7 km) long and flows through Carbondale Township and Mayfield. The watershed of the creek has an area of 1.77 square miles (4.6 km2). The creek is an impaired stream. It is impacted by flow loss and is also affected by acid mine drainage. Its waters tend to be acidic. The watershed of the creek is in the Appalachian Mountain Section of the Ridge and Valley physiographic province. The main rock formations in the watershed include interbedded sedimentary rock and sandstone. Culm and silt are deposited in the creek's vicinity and it flows through a large silt basin known as the Bushwick silt basin. A major underground coal fire is burning on a hill near the creek.
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.
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.
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(help)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).
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.
47°32′16″N122°07′44″W / 47.537717°N 122.129002°W