Principal investigator

Dr. Ed Kolodziej

Project team

Dr. Kathy Peter

Funding provided by

Seattle Public Utilities

Project overview

Seattle Public Utilities completed a restoration project at Thornton Creek to address issues with neighborhood flooding, which involved rebuilding 1,600 feet of the creek's channel, restoring it to its original floodplain. Not only has the neighborhood flooding been eliminated, but water quality has also improved and chinook salmon have returned to spawn. The Center for Urban Waters received funding to conduct a water quality study at the restoration site. Study results have been published in Water Research.

A documentary about the Thornton Creek restoration project featuring Drs. Kolodziej and Peter debuted at the 2019 Seattle International Film Festival. View the trailer below.