This year, Herrera completed the Boise Creek Golf Course Restoration Final Design project. Herrera worked with the City of Enumclaw to design and plan the reconstruction and restoration of a portion of Boise Creek that runs through the Enumclaw Golf Course. Boise Creek is a historically hosted productive salmon spawning grounds that feed into the White River. The Spring Chinook, Steelhead, Coho, Pink, and Fall Chinook Salmon spawn in this creek. Boise Creek also hosts the rare Spring Chinook run, which has been deemed critical to the recovery of the ESA-listed species.
In the 1940s, the golf course was built and the stream was re-routed, resulting in negative impacts that were recognized in the decades to come. In 2008, the Puyallup Tribe performed a study on Boise Creek and found plenty of opportunities to improve and restore salmon habitat in the Puyallup River Basin. Herrera led final design and permitting for a City of Enumclaw restoration effort in 2020, funded partially by a Cooperative Watershed Grant.
The successful project re-routed the stream, provided productive spawning grounds for salmon, and reduced flood risk at the golf course. This project exemplifies the importance of reflecting on the past, which can prompt meaningful changes for the future. Learn more here.
Reflections
As the year comes to a close, Herrera’s Boise Creek team members reflect on the completion of the Boise Creek project:
“I still fondly recall developing the stream relocation concept on the Enumclaw Golf Course with my colleagues and client on a very wet winter day in 2008. It is amazing to see an idea go from hand waving in the field to a completed project.”
- Jeff Parsons, PhD, PE was Herrera’s project manager and lead hydraulic engineer.
“This was an exciting first project at Herrera for me to see from design through construction! We had an engaged, communicative team that helped ensure project success, and it’s been satisfying to see the site performing well in the last few months since construction concluded.”
- Emma Van Orden, EIT provided project engineering support
“I love that the Boise Cr
eek project supports fish habitat and enhances the human experience by introducing a touch of wilderness to the golf course setting. Pacific Northwest native species were used in the plant palette. The wetland and riparian systems will evolve over time, contributing to the creation of a complex and healthy habitat.”
- Rayna Gleason, project environmental designer and graphics specialist.
